


Pieces

by SillyMillyXD



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Bad Jokes, Canon-Typical Violence, Comfort/Angst, Flowey!Reader, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Humor, Mild Language, Multiple Endings, Not Romance, POV Second Person, Reader Guides Frisk, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader-Insert, Tags May Change, platonic fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2018-05-09 20:43:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 46
Words: 193,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5554706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SillyMillyXD/pseuds/SillyMillyXD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A story where the reader is thrown into the game of Undertale...but with a twist. Not only do they have to try to guide Frisk through the underground, but they have to do it in a body that is not their own. </p><p>With time running out, you better be prepared to get to the root of the problem...get it? Cause you're a flippin flower!</p><p>Note: takes place in an alternate reality where Undertale was never launched and only one copy of the game exists.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. README.txt

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you that are concerned, this is not going to be an exact re-telling of the game. In fact, a lot of stuff that will be the same or very similar is going to be skipped over (for the most part) I will only leave stuff in if it has some sort of significance. Wether plot advancing or emotional bonding....or just cause I think it's hilarious!
> 
> Visit My Tumblr Page for updates on chapter posts. Normally, I update on Sundays. 
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> [Story Cover](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com/art/Cover-Undertale-Pieces-Fanfiction-583583466)  
> 

G:\Undertale\README.txt

  
Undertale(R) Version 1.001 10/26/2014

  
ABOUT THE GAME  
\-------------------------------

Welcome to UNDERTALE!

In this RPG, you control a human who falls underground into a world of monsters.  
Now you must find your way out...or stay trapped forever.

FEATURES:  
-Killing is unnecessary: negotiate out of danger using the unique battle system.  
-Time your attacks for extra damage, then dodge enemy attacks in a style  
reminiscent of top-down shooters.  
-Original art and soundtrack brimming with personality.  
-Soulful, character-rich story with an emphasis on humor.  
-Created mostly by one person.  
-Become friends with all of the bosses!  
-At least 5 dogs.  
-You can date a skeleton.  
-Hmmm...now there are 6 dogs....?  
-Maybe you won't want to date the skeleton.  
-I thought I found a 7th dog, but it was actually just the 3rd dog.  
-If you play this game, can you count the dogs for me...? I'm not good at it.

===============================

REQUIREMENTS  
\-------------------------------  
Windows ME, XP, Vista, 7 or 8  
2GB RAM  
128MB Memory  
0 MB Available Space

\--------------------------------------------------

INSTALLATION  
\-------------------------------  
***No installation is required

Game runs off of flash drive.

\--------------------------------------------------

CONFIGURATION  
\-------------------------------  
*Press F4 for FULL SCREEN

No other configurations available.

==============================

TROUBLESHOOTING  
\-------------------------------  
Issue: I cannot install the game on to the computer  
Resolve: None. Game cannot be removed from flash drive. Game is designed to  
run directly off of drive efficiently.

Issue: I cannot copy game files to hard drive.  
Resolve: None. Game files (ex: saves, scripts, textures) cannot be saved to hard  
drive. Only exception being Music(MP3) files.

Issue: Only one person can play the game at a time.  
Resolve: None. The game cannot support multiple save files at a time.

Issue: I want to share this game with a friend. But I cannot delete my saves.  
Resolve: None. Save games cannot be deleted. However, they are coded and  
stored under you computers ID number. When you wish to pass this game on,  
simply plug the flash drive into a different computer. The game will recognize it  
is a new player and react accordingly.

Issue: Game does not reset properly or unable to reset at all.  
Resolve: None.

Issue: I am unable to find more copies of the game.  
Resolve: None. Due to programming issues, only one copy of the game is in  
existence. Still working on a resolution.

Issue: There is a character in the game that speaks in Wingdings that I  
cannot understand.  
Resolve: Character has been removed from the game.

\--------------------------------------------------  
If there are any other issues that arise....

Undertale can be reached at :  
[error]@gmail.com

Copyright 2014

============================

 

 

G:\Undertale\playerarchive.ini

(10.26.13) [name_error]  
(10.27.14) SAM  
(11.03.14) JULIE  
(11.07.14) MEGAN  
(11.13.14) ASS  
(11.23.14) DAVID  
(12.22.14) TEMMIE  
(12.23.14) TEMMIE  
(12.24.14) TEMMIE  
(12.25.14) BOB  
(12.29.14) STEVE  
(01.08.15) MARK  
(01.25.15) WADE  
(02.22.15) JACK  
(03.27.15) LILLY  
(04.16.15) BOOB  
(05.01.15) LUCY  
(06.03.15) JOSH  
(06.22.15) GINA  
(07.30.15) BUNNY  
(08.18.15) SAM  
(08.20.15) JOSH  
(09.01.15) DAVE  
(09.19.15) KELLI  
(09.28.15) JULIE  
(10.06.15) KRISTY  
(10.29.15) RYAN  
(11.02.15) MILLY  
(11.21.15) SCOTT  
(12.19.15) AVERY  
(--.--.--) [NEWPLAYER]


	2. But Nobody Came...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My posting is a bit sporadic....but I will try to get a chapter out at least once a week. Also, I try to edit the crap out of these chapters. I have a problem with past/present tense. Hopefully, I did alright. :)
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

_**By the time I'm done with you....** _

_**.....YOU WILL BE IN PIECES!!** _

......

.....

...

You can see the sunlight shining in from behind your closed eyes, bathing your vision in a warm orange glow.

_Hmm??_

What a weird dream.

Even just waking up, you can't really remember it.

What time is it?

Did you sleep in again?

It wouldn't be the first time, but normally you would at least set your alarm for noon. Sleeping the day away had always seemed like such a waste, especially on the weekend.

You begin to stir.

 _Huh_...

You feel really weird.

Like, your whole body is numb.

It's hard to move.

You should probably be more concerned about that.

But with your mind in a fog, it just seems like an inconvenience.

After a bit of a struggle, you manage to sit yourself up right.

The numbing sensation just didn't want to go away, did it?

Well, that's annoying.

A yawn escapes from your mouth as you try to open your eyes.

Blinded by the light bouncing off the golden walls of your room, you quickly shut them again.

It's too bright.

It's just too......wait...

_Gold??_

Your room's not gold.

You find the strength to open your eyes again, squinting at the onslaught of color that meets them.

You can't help but blink a few times. Finally, your eyes start to adjust.

You are surrounded by flowers.

Golden flowers.

Giant golden flowers...to be precise.

And when you say giant, you mean it. They are almost as big as you are, reaching to just below your chin.

The sunlight that woke you is filtering in like a spotlight.

You can’t see much from beyond where the light touches, but one thing's for certain...

Yup, defiantly _not_ your room.

You look up to where the light is shining in, eyes squinting to shield them from the brightness. You can make out the rocky surface of the cliff above, the sides of it coming down and completely surrounding you. From an outsider’s perspective, one might think you had fallen into this cavern and the flowers had cushioned your fall.

…

But…

You knew better.

Because all this seems vaguely familiar to you...

It only takes a second for something to click and then you realize why.

You have been here before.

Seen this before.

Done this before.

But not as yourself...

As another person...

As a child...

As Frisk…

…

You are in the game.

 _In it…_ not just playing it... _ **in**_ it.

....

You should feel something, right?

Happy? Sad? Scared?....Anything?

....

Huh...

Maybe you're more tired than you thought and your judgment is impaired?

Either way, if you're in the game now...how did you get here? Maybe you're still dreaming? That's the most likely answer. But somehow...

....

_Ah..._

The numbness is starting to wear off.

Your body is prickling, beginning to get life back into it.

You flex your fingers.

.....

Now that's different.

You wiggle your fingers, trying to feel each one. Instead, it just feels like someone had taped all your fingers together! Thumb included!

You hold your hands in front of you as you look down at them...

_oh...._

_.…oh..._

_......._

_oh no..._

_....oh no oh no oh no oH NO OH NO OH NO!_

The fear you were missing before suddenly comes crashing down on you. Sending your stomach plummeting and an unpleasant chill to run down your spine. That is if you even still had a stomach or spine!

Your hands are no longer there, but instead two long... pointed...trembling green leaves. Frantically, you look down at your body but it is not there either. Your body has been replaced with a green, slightly fuzzy stem. But it's a bit hard to see to be sure. The bright yellow petals that now surround your face seem to be obscuring it some. Oh yes, there's also _that._

This is not good. This is definitely not good at all!

What are you gonna do?

You can't be...

But you had to be...

_Oh god._

You begin to panic, looking around for a sign of someone...ANYONE! Just so you’d know you weren't stuck here by yourself as-

"HELP!!!" You scream, not knowing what else to do. "PLEASE!! SOMEONE HELP ME!!"

You take a few frantic, trembling breaths and wait.

You cup your leaves together and hold them against your "chest", fidgeting with them nervously.

You listen.

.......

But nobody came.

No one's here.

You feel sick.

You are trapped in the body of a flower.

But not just any flower....

You’re stuck as **Flowey**...

You feel so alone.

Your vision blurs as tears begin to form.

You don’t know what to do. So, you just wrap your leaves around your body and hug yourself tight.

You sit there.

The tears that had clouded your vision before start to run down your face. You can't help the sob that escaped your lips.

You're alone....

In an unfamiliar body....

With no knowledge of how to escape...

All alone...

.....

.....

But..but you're alive.

You at least had that, right?

And you're not hurt.

And you're not lost.

After all, you knew this place like the back of your.....leaf?

You take a deep, shaky breath.

You hold it for a moment and then release it.

_It's ok._

_I'm ok._

_I'm ok....._

You chant this to yourself as you try to calm down.

You focus on your breathing.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out...

It takes a few minutes, but you finally calm down. The cloud of anxiety lifts and clears your mind. You wipe the tears away frantically, and you sit up straight.

_I'm ok....everything will be ok...._

You release one last deep breath, and then you take in your surroundings once more.

With a clear mind, you study it. You scan over the tops of the other flowers, trying to peer into the darkness. You swivel your body around, causing the fibers in your stem to coil around themselves.

Curious, you turn left and right a few times. Noticing how the stem twists and turns with you. You turn completely around, and with success you are looking in the opposite direction. You keep turning, but the fibers in your stem seem to strain when you try to go any further.

With this discovered, you continue to inspect your surroundings. Nothing out of the ordinary though.

Until....

You notice a depression in the flower bed. All the flowers in one area are squashed. When you look further out, you can see a trail of flower petals. They lead deeper into the cavern until they disappear into the darkness. Your breath catches in your throat, a single name escapes past your lips.

"Frisk."

They're already here, but why?

You should've been here first. You should've been here to...

Well....anyways.

You need to catch up to them, but how?

You're a plant! You can't just...

Oh, wait...

You're **Flowey**.

That's right, you can move.

Though you’re not really sure how.

You squirm around a bit.

Now that numbness from before is completely gone, you're able to feel something move at the base of your stem. You focus and give it a little wiggle, your roots respond accordingly.

_This is so weird._

It is almost like wiggling toes...lots and lots of toes.

You try a couple of things. Moving the roots one way and then moving your stem another. In the mists of your fidgeting, you also figure out you can pull your leaves and other parts back inside your stem. Eventually, you manage to pull your whole being in on itself. It startles you, so you immediately pop yourself out again.

Afraid you might've lost something, you give yourself a once over.

You're fine, and you had moved an inch ahead.

A sense of accomplishment flows through you.

It fills you with determination!

_I can do this._

Setting your sights on the ground a few feet away, you ready yourself.

Taking a deep breath, you pull in.

It's a weird sensation. You feel like your entire being is compressed into the size of a penny. You can't see or hear or smell or taste, but you can _feel_.

You can feel every speck of dirt around your body. There are vibrations coming from everywhere, ranging from a dull hum to a base drum that rumbles all the way through your core.

You’re not sure what they all mean. But you figure you can use these to navigate...somehow. For now, you focus instead on moving forward.

Focusing, you can feel yourself being pushed in that direction by some unknown force.

You keep going until you think you've gone far enough. Popping back up, you see that you had moved, but you missed your mark by a few feet.

Well....not bad for a first time, right?

You can't waste time practicing, so you keep moving. But you only travel a few feet at once. The thought of running headfirst into a wall or a slab of concrete was not your idea of a good time.

You travel deeper into the Ruins as you keep an eye out for Frisk, taking care to not be seen by anyone. You aren’t supposed to be here after all. Who knows what will happen to the timeline if you interfere too much.

Really, you should've thought of that before your little outburst earlier.

Oh well, what do you do?

Traveling a little bit further, you realize you're starting to feel worn out. I guess jumping around like that really takes it out of you, huh?

After glancing around, you take a moment to rest by a nearby water hazard. You're not looking forward to going under that. It meant you would have to go far enough down so you didn't end up drowning, cause you're pretty sure you can't swim.

Your throat is a little dry, but then you wonder if you even have a throat? Either way, the water should be ok for a flower to drink...right?

You lean over the edge and place your lips into the water, completely submerging your bottom two petals. After a couple of gulps, which by the way...tastes like gummy bears and toothpaste...weird, you pull away and wipe your mouth with your leaf. Halfway through this movement, you stop. Lowering your leaf from your face, you lean over and look at your reflection in the water.

It looks...odd..

And not just because you're a flower!

But because you're **Flowey.**

Right?

.....

But...

You didn't think that Flowey looked this…what’s the word you're looking for?

…pale.

You’re not the bold, golden yellow that Flowey is. Instead, you're very...pastelly. Like, the color you find on a Volkswagen Beetle or a newborn baby chicken...

_Or a golden Oreo!_

…...

Damn you liked Oreos.

But your color isn't the only thing that seems different. Just your overall structure is a bit off as well. Your facial features are different, but it's hard to pinpoint exactly how. Your leaves also seem longer and thinner. More like a very wide blade of grass. Actually, did Flowey even have leaves? You couldn't recall.

Overall, just you look...softer, but it’s hard to say. Seeing as you've never seen Flowey other than an 8-bit representation.

So, are you actually Flowey?

Or should be a little more careful where you pop up?

...You didn't want to think about it.

You quickly shake your head, trying to physically derail that train of thought. You can't think like that now, you need to keep moving. You continue forward, although you’re a little more cautious when you emerge from the ground.

After a while, you begin to pop up with more accuracy. Which is good, cause there's a lot of brick walls in the ruins.

And motes....

And weak floors....

And spiky death traps......

...yeah.

It takes a while, but you manage to make it to Toriel's house. You sigh in relief, you're finally here. But you're not sure if Frisk is still inside. Staking out by the door, you lean against the wooden surface and listen. You sit and wait, not really sure what you’re even listeni-

_Huh?_

You hear something. You listen closer, it doesn't sound like words. It's muffled but you hear something that sounds a lot like...a sob?

…

_Oh..._

_....Toriel_

You pull away from the door.

Frisk isn't here.

And by what it sounds like, they left recently.

The only problem now is getting to the door of the Ruins. You have to go under the house, but you have no idea how to do it. You can't see where you need to go. You aren't able to judge the distance or account for any obstacles. You are basically going to be flying blind.

You have the vibrations that help guide you a little but you haven't quite figured out how to read them yet, or where they come from.

But you have to try.

You don't have much of a choice.

You try to think of where the door is under the small home.

The stairs.

The tunnel.

The door.

You steel yourself.

Taking a deep breath, you plunge into the ground.

_Ow!_

_Oof!!_

_Ek! Oh, come on!!_

A bit of a rocky start.

You keep bumping into the basement wall. After the first couple of bumps, you adapt this technique to feel your way around the obstacle. You manage to maneuver around the wall.

Thank god, you were getting sore.

You swoop around it and continue to trudge forward.

You're not sure how far you should go.

Maybe you should check your surr-

A frigid cold slams into your very core.

_COLD!!!_

You burst out of the ground in surprise, sending bits of dirt and snow flying.

"HOLY GUAC-!!" Your leaves instantly fly to cover your mouth, cutting your exclamation short. You quickly glance around, hoping that no one’s around to hear that little outburst.

You’re trying to keep a low profile after all.

No need for people to hear you screaming out names of random Mexican dips and condiments.

But no worries. From the looks of it, you're alone.

And you're out of the Ruins. You had popped up right on the other side of the doors.

You feel relieved.

The Ruins had been a challenge, especially since you're new to this whole "Flowey" thing. Well, if you actually are Flowey. You're still not sure if you are or not. But this whole time you had kept yourself surprisingly calm. You only freaked out once, but that was it. Which was strange, now that you think about it. You're normally not very good at keeping calm in stressful situations.

But you decide not to dwell on it. You are finally out of that place. Meaning you are that much closer to finding Frisk, to maybe even finding a way out of this body, and to finding a way home.

That's a plus!

Right?...

You shiver as the wind picks up. Your leaves quickly wrap around your small frame.

_...but damn!_

_Why did it have to be so cold!_?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I promise more character appearances in the next chapter. I had to get some things established in this one.


	3. Pet Pet Pet!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took a long time on this chapter. I actually had to cut it shorter than what I wanted...it was getting too long. 
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

You pop up once again.

With a little shiver, you glance around.

_Trees..._

_Snow..._

_More trees..._

_And more snow._

You sigh. No sign of Frisk yet.

After emerging from the Ruins, you had traveled along the main path. Which proved to be immensely easy compared to navigating the narrow and twisting corridors whence you came. The only obstacle you had come across so far was the deep chasm that held Papyrus's gate.

How he was even able to build a gate there, you still have no idea.

You couldn't even see the bottom of that thing!!

Luckily, you were able to weave between the trees that surrounded the giant hole in the ground and you had just gone around it.

Now, you're traveling through the forest looking for Frisk.

With no luck....at all.

_Where is that kid?_

You rub your leaves together vigorously.

The cold still bothers you a little. Above ground, it's beginning to get more tolerable but underground it's still freezing. Every time you duck below the surface, you feel like someone had just shoved your face in a snow drift. And the longer you stay under, the more that cold seeps into you. At least once you're above ground, you can warm up a bit.

Well, the top half anyways...

You still need to wiggle your roots to keep them from freezing.

You take one last glance around. Then, after bracing yourself, you duck back underground. You travel a bit farther before popping up again behind a group of trees.

You shiver once more as you look around.

_Trees...._

_Snow...._

_Sentry station..._

_Fri-_

_Frisk!_

You gasp as you duck further behind the tree in front of you. Which is a bit unnecessary, seeing that the kid is facing the other direction.

But thank god!

Finally!

You found them!

You finally found them!

There they are! Right in front of you!

Facing off against the motion sensitive Doggo....and....

Frisk is knocked backwards by the blow.

....loosing...

Yup, as you continue to watch it's pretty obvious that Frisk has no idea what they are doing. Doggo, with his twin blades, is attacking them and the kid is trying to dodge it.

It happens repeatedly, each blow causing your teeth to grind harder together. Watching the kid take hit after hit is frustrating!

It’s so easy!

You literally have to do NOTHING!!

You just hold still!!!

You've done this millions of times!!!

Doggo was even giving hints!!!!!

But the kid keeps trying to dodge then pet Doggo, then dodge, and then pet. At this rate, the kid was going to be killed by one of the easiest monsters in the game!

_Maybe if I..._

.....

No...you shouldn't interfere....

You don't want to mess up the timeline. And if Frisk sees you, they'll probably freak out. But as you look on, another blow lands on the small child and they're knocked to the ground once again.

You groan. You're infuriated beyond belief!

_Oh, to hell with it!!_

As Frisk gets up, you aim and quickly pop behind them. Even though you're directly behind their heels now, they still seem oblivious to your presence.

You suddenly feel a bit nervous. This is probably a bad idea.

A very...very bad idea...

But then you see the kid reach out to Doggo again, and that feeling is quickly replaced with irritation.

"Knock it off!" You scold them in a hushed tone.

They suddenly stop. You're unable to see the expression on their face, but they seem surprised.

"That didn't work the first hundred times, and it's not going to work now! Not yet anyways..."

You watch as Frisk lowers their hand. They glance around, looking for the source of the voice. You lean with them, constantly switching blind spots. They don't see you, which is lucky since you're kind of hard to miss. After all, you are almost half their size.…

Ok...maybe a third.

You continue speaking in a hushed tone.

"Listen, when Doggo attacks...don't move. No matter how much you want to, just _don't_. Ok?"

Frisk shakes their head frantically.

Guess they don't want to take your advice.

They seem almost nervous...or scared. Which you suppose is reasonable, now that you think about it. You are basically asking them to hold still as a mad dog swings knives at them.

You sigh and, while trying to sound as reassuring as possible, you whisper.

"Look, kid. I know it's hard…and that you don't even know me...but you're going to have to trust me on this one. I promise, you're gonna be just fine. Ok?"

Frisk pauses for a moment, contemplating your words.

But then, they nod.

You watch as the kid waits for the next attack.

Doggo glares....or perhaps he is squinting? Either way, his eyes dart back and forth, looking for movement.

"Don't move a muscle." Doggo mutters as he readies his blade.

Frisk flinches a bit, but they keep firmly in their spot. You stay right where you are, quietly encouraging them.

"You can do this, you're gonna be fine..."

Doggo's blade turns a bright turquoise blue. Frisk starts to tremble but stays put.

"You'll be ok...just...don't move..."

He swings his blade in a slow slashing motion. Frisk braces for the impact, but they remain in place.

You watch as the blade approaches. And it suddenly occurs to you...it's coming right for you too. You tense as the attacks passes right through the both of you.

You can't help but feel a bit sick at the strange sensation. It feels like someone just touched a freezing cold lead pipe to your skin. But in a fraction of a second, it's gone.

_Wow...._

You...were not ready for that.

You look down and confirm that have been untouched.

You instantly relax.

Looking up at Frisk, you see that they're fine as well. They look down at their body, seeming to inspect themselves for any damage. You can't help but smirk smugly.

_Told you so!_

The kid looks up, seemingly satisfied that they’re not missing any limbs. Doggo is still looking around, but now it looks like he can't find anything.

Now's their chance!

"Ok, kid.  _N_ _ow_ pet him." You whisper.

Frisk reaches out and gives Doggo a little pat on the head.

Doggo starts freaking out.

"WHAT!?!? I'VE BEEN PET!!!"

As Frisk spares the sentry, you take this moment to duck away. You emerge again behind a tree and watch as Doggo disappears into his sentry station.

Frisk spins and looks around, a wide smile is plastered on their face. But soon, it fades as their eyes scan the winter landscape.

You can't help but feel a bit touched. The kid’s looking for you, and they actually seem disappointed that you aren’t there.

Reluctantly, Frisk continues down the snowy path…looking rather crestfallen. You watch them leave, and you sigh.

Can't say you aren't a bit worried about them, even if they can just reset. The way they handled Doggo, you're surprised they even made it out of the Ruins. If they continue like this, then the timeline won't advance at all. You're going to have to keep an eye on them.

You continue onward, keeping off the path as you follow Frisk.

\------------

You rub your leaves together. You’re patiently waiting behind a boulder for the kid to catch up.

You had closely followed Frisk, making sure they didn't have any more issues. The kid had encountered several monsters on the way, all of which they seemed to handle quite well. A couple you had to help them a bit on. The biggest hang up was on the dog couple. You actually had to trip the kid and make them fall in the dirt before they got the idea.

This, in hindsight, was not your best decision.

The kid could've gotten really hurt.

Anyways, because of their progress...you decided that you didn't need to watch them as closely. So, you spaced your little pop ups farther apart. You kept jumping a little further ahead each time, and then waited until Frisk caught up.

You were getting much more confident with traveling. You were beginning to recognize patterns in the vibrations and sensations you felt. A distant low rumble constantly hummed through the earth but was stronger the deeper underground you went. There was a slow, methodical pulsing which always comes from the same direction. You felt a sensation when you’d get too close to tree roots. It reminded you of floor boards creaking. You could even distinguish the light tapping of Frisk's footsteps as they trotted along the path.

But there were still some things you couldn't figure out yet. Like how to travel blindly, without being able to judge the distance. But even so, you still tried. Jumping a little farther than you're comfortable with every time. However, on these occasions....your accuracy was a hit or miss.

This was one of those times.

You had jumped a little farther than what you wanted.

You could jump back, but the cold was starting to seep further into your core. Probably from spending so much time underground. You didn't want to unnecessarily back track and risk frost bite or whatever the plant equivalent of frost bite was....

Which you think is still considered frost bite.....

Anyways...

Frisk would be fine. Last you saw them they were solving a puzzle. But, they weren't exactly the best at puzzles.

So now, you just sit and wait.

Not that you really mind waiting, but you wish it was warmer.

You cannot stress it enough....

You _hate_ the cold.

You rub your leaves together more vigorously while your roots continue to fidget.

It’s irritating.

Your leaves are beginning to get a bit stiff and sore. A light layer of frost is starting to form on them too.

You cup your leaves and hold them up to your mouth. You blow puffs of hot air into your "hands". You can feel your breath begin to warm them up.

As you're doing this, you wonder how much longer the kid was going to take.

Normally, these puzzles didn't take you that long. But you had done these puzzles...what? 20 times? 30? Heck, you have no idea...you kind of lost count after a-

A strange sound startles you.

You stop and quickly look around.

But...

No one’s there...

_Huh_.

You go back to what you’re doing, blowing warm air over your leaves. After a deep breath, you exhale and-

There it is again.

You are about to look around again when you pause.

_Wait..._.

You look down at your leaves. You try to fold them like you had them before. Taking another deep breath, you blow into them.

There! That sound!

It’s you!

You feel a tickling sensation in your core, and you can't help but smile a little.

Really, out of everything that's happened so far...you shouldn't be surprised.

But now, on top of being thrown into the game, turned into a flower, and having to follow some little kid around like a creeper.

Now, turns out..you're a....

A...ummm..

......

......

Darn, you thought you had a good joke there....

Well, you've never been very good at thinking on your feet.

...

Cause, you know.

You don't have feet.

_Haha!_

You chuckle to yourself in amusement at your lame joke, adding it to your mental list of things to never say out loud.

You turn your attention back to the leaves before you.

What are these things called again?

Umm...A leaf whistle...you think.

You remember it's something a friend showed you when you were little. You take a wide blade of grass and wedge it between your thumbs. Blowing into them causes the blade to vibrate and a high pitch squeal to sound. You could get a different pitch when you adjust your hands, but it isn't a very large range. Though, you did get really close to playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" once.

You experimentally try a couple more times. You adjust your "hands" to try to get different pitches. It's a bit rough, but you manage to play a couple of different notes.

It sounds a bit squeaky, but it doesn't make so much of a squeal like it normally would.

More like...a toot of a party favor...or like...

_Like a kazoo!_

Heh...wow.

When was the last time you even played the kazoo?

Jeeze, it must've been...what…

At least 10 years? Maybe 15?

You use to love playing kazoo. It was always a surefire way to put a smile on your face. You use to practice and then put on little performances for your family and friends...and occasionally complete strangers. Everyone use to tell you how good you were, how you were so funny and silly and cheerful...

....

Then you got older.

And you stopped being so silly and cheerful and funny...

You’re not exactly sure when it happened...but..

You suppose it started when your "friends" decided to tease you about the way you acted.

And not in the friendly "we're friends so we can poke a little fun at each other" sort of way.

It was so long ago. You don't really remember much.

Just that they really weren't very good friends....

........

You shake your head. And turn your attention back to your leaves.

Right.

You were playing your leaf whistle...kazoo...thing...

_Hmm..._

You wonder....

You bring your leaves up to your mouth and make a few notes.

They weren't quite right, you try again....

Eh...closer.

You keep trying, adjusting your leaves in different positions to achieve different notes. You're a bit surprised. You can actually achieve a wide range of notes with your leaves.

You finally manage to find the notes you’re looking for. You play the melody that you knew so well, note by note. It doesn't take long to finish, but when you do you can feel a swell of pride radiate from your core.

"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"

You finally did it.

After all these years, you did it!

You decide to play the song again..

And again...

And again...

Each time you play it you make the song a little faster, change something up or add a little something fun to it. At one point you actually sway and bop to it in your own flowery version of a dance.

You finish off the song dramatically by belting out the last note as hard as you can.

You can't help the chuckle that escapes. Your face is warm and you’re out of breath...but you can't help but smile.

That was fun!

Really, really fun!

..…

You...

You really missed that...

Suddenly, you see something move at the end of the path. You huddle closer to the boulder as you peek around it.

Oh, it's just Frisk.

They walk down the path, snow crunching under their feet. Frisk passes by the boulder without a second look and continues on their way. You watch them for a moment as they head towards the next sentry station.

_Hmm...This one they might need help on to._

You decide you should jump ahead and meet Frisk there.

You brace yourself for the cold as you duck into the ground.

You zoom through the earth. You can feel Frisk's footsteps as you speed right under them. You keep going, taking note of the different little tremors as you travel.

_Hmmm..._

There’s a nagging sensation in the back of your mind saying you should've judged more carefully before you had ducked underground.

Part of you wants to pop up and take a look around again, but you decide against it.

One, Frisk might see you. You're not sure if you're in their line of sight.

And Two, you need to learn how to navigate underground with only the vibrations to guide you.

So against your better judgment, you continue.

Zooming along, you can feel the freezing particles of grit and ice part as you push through them. The vibrations continue to guide you in the right direction.

After a while, you notice that something seems... _off_. But you can't really pinpoint what, so you keep going.

Then, something in the tremors changes dramatically...

But before you can even stop to wonder why, they disappear.

The tremors.

The dirt.

The ice.

Everything.

It’s all just...gone…

You feel nothing...

Alarmed, you instantly pop yourself back out and your eyes widen in terror.

Because you aren't in the ground anymore...

But you can definitely see some, it’s just thousands of feet below you instead.

_....oh..._

You knew you'd forgotten something...

Something important...

_Oh god...._

You forgot about the cliff.

And now you went too far!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp...how you getting outta this one? Even I don't know...?  
> ....  
> ... Ok that's a lie.


	4. Cliff Hanger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please excuse the lack of editing...I proof read for 45min and it didn't save...so I'm a bit flustered. Hopefully it's ok. 
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> UPDATE 1/24**** Hey! Decided that this chapter was too long so I split it in half. The second part is now Chapter 5!

For a fraction of a second, time seems to stand still. You seem to float there for a moment before you finally feel yourself begin to fall.

"AHH-"

You don't have time to finish screaming.

Suddenly, you feel a tug on one of your roots.

Before you even know what's going on, you find yourself smacking face first into solid rock.

You screw your eyes shut in pain. You grip your face as you groan and bounce a little against the hard surface.

_Ow!_

_Owowowow!!_

That hurt...a lot...

If you had a nose, or any bones in your face for that matter, they probably would've been broken.

You feel something shift under your root.

Your eyes fly open. You look up but instead of the ceiling, you’re met with the pleasant view of the landscape thousands of feet below. It only takes a second to realize that...well....

You're upside down.

You feel yourself shift again.

Quickly, you look down at your roots. Somehow, one of your larger roots had wedged itself in a v-shaped crack in the wall.

But it's slipping.

_Oh no!!!_

Frantically, you throw your remaining roots against the cliff side. Scrambling, you try to get a foot hold in before you lose it.

You're still slipping.

_No no no no no..._

You grab and grab with your roots but the rock keeps crumbling away.

You try to grab onto the cliff with your leaves, hoping you can push yourself up further. But your leaves keep slipping, the rock is too smooth and your leaves too flimsy.

You struggle. You try not to look at the ground below as you continue your battle with gravity.

_Oh god._

You don't want to die.

Not now.

Not like this...

Only a moment later does your leaf find a place to grip. You push yourself up more as your roots continue to scrape the cliff side.

Then, you feel one catch. You get a good grip with a root. You’re finally able to pull yourself closer to the crevice. One by one, you dig them into the cliff face.

_Come on! Come on!_

As soon as your roots are in, you immediately pull yourself underground.

The tremors are a warm welcome to you. Their familiarity is like a warm blanket, but you don't take time to savor their comfort.

You race to the top of the cliff.

It takes only a second before you reach the surface.

You burst through the earth with enough power to nearly uproot yourself.

The force causes you to become a bit unbalanced, but with your roots firmly in place, you regain it quickly.

You sit there, panting.

You take a moment to catch your breath.

Still panting, you look back at the cliff...you feel sick.

_Good god!_

You nearly died!

DIED!!!

How?!?!?

How are you even still alive?!

How did you even survive that?!

You turn away from the sight and take a moment to calm down.

_I'm ok...I'm ok....I'm not dead...I'm ok..._

Taking deep breaths, you try to remember exactly what happened.

The problem is, the more you think about it the more it doesn't make sense. How did that even work?!?! You remember feeling nothing around you. You were completely out of the ground. You were falling for just a second until your root stopped you. But seriously?! How on earth does a single root get stuck like that?! It was just...not possible! It should've never got stuck in the first place?!

_So how-?!?_

Trying to figure it out just makes your head hurt. You try to pinch the bridge of your nose, but without hands or a nose it’s nearly impossible. So you end up taking the tip of your leaf and pushing it into the space between your eyes. This causes you to wince in pain and you immediately pull your leaf away.

Right, you took quite a hit there.

Without the risk of death looming over you, the painful throbbing coming from the center of your face is quite apparent.

You can also feel a soreness coming from the root that had gotten stuck.

You gingerly wiggle it, causing a shooting pain to rocket up your stem. You cringe. Your roots seem to be really sensitive, huh? And it looks like that one got messed up pretty badly. You will have to let that one rest.

Luckily, you have plenty other ones to help take over.

 _Heh_...

"Luck"

Thinking back on it....

Guess that's all that was, huh? Just plain, stupid, idiotic, wonderful dumb luck.

But you'll have to be more careful. Luck won't always be there to save you.

You look back at the ledge once more.

You shiver, but not from the cold this time.

You were never jumping blindly like that again.

Never.

Ever.

Across the large chasm, you notice two monsters talking. You tense for a minute...did they see you? The sound of a very distinct laugh rings out and you sigh in relief.

Good, they were too distracted.

They didn't see you.

Those two play a major role in the game. Who knows what would happen if they knew that you exist.

The whole timeline could turn out a disaster, or worse...

This is why, even when Frisk had approached them, you had stayed as far away as possible.

They couldn't know.

No one could know...

The crunching of snow interrupts your thoughts.

Your head snaps around to see Frisk walking up the path.

You panic. You need to hide!

A few feet away, you see a large mound of snow. Hastily, you hide behind it.

You wait a moment, but nothing happens. Peaking around the snow pile, you see Frisk inspecting a similar mound of snow.

Then, they begin to approach the snow poof that you’re behind. Quickly, you flatten yourself against it.

You wait a moment. You hear something rustle around in the snow.

Then, you hear a happy little yip.

It sounds like it’s right...

_Oh....oh no._

You hastily duck into the ground as Greater Dog emerges from the snow.

Underground, you hear Frisk take a couple of steps back. You aim and pop up behind them.

The kid seems just as frightened as usual. It’s a trend you are beginning to notice.

You take a deep breath.

You need to focus.

"Alright, kid. Just remember...it might be a monster, but it's still just a puppy. Just your normal....giant...armor wearing...spear wielding...puppy."

That...doesn’t really seem to comfort them much.

You guide them as usual. Staying behind them as they pet, play, and dodge attacks.

Eventually, they spare Greater Dog. You watch as the pup licks Frisk’s nose, jumps headfirst into its suit, and walks across the bridge to Snowdin.

You sigh, that fight had really worn you out. Or maybe it’s a combination of the fight and the near death experience from before.

You watch as Frisk giggles and uses their sleeve to wipe the slobber off their nose.

You feel a corner of your mouth twitch into a smile. The sight was pretty darn cute...

As Frisk walks away, you notice they didn't even make a move to look around. They seem to have given up trying to find you. It makes you feel a bit sad. You continue to watch them as they head towards the br-

You suddenly feel the color drain from your face.

_Oh no...oh no oh no oh no oh no!!_

The bridge!!!

You forgot Frisk has to cross it to get to Snowdin!!

If they go across that bridge, you are going to lose them!

You can’t just _walk_ across the bridge!

And there is NO way you’re going to try going under the cliff!

You just...can’t!

They're almost to the bridge!

Oh no! You have to stop them!

Quick!

Do something!!

"H-hey! Wait a sec!" You cry. The words are out before you can stop yourself.

Frisk instantly spins around.

They freeze when their eyes fall on you.

You stare at each other, neither one of you saying a word. This is bad...very _very_ bad.

You didn't mean to say that!

You panicked!!

You remember when you said that you didn't handle stressful situations well?

Well...this is now one of those situations!

This is what happens when you don't think things through!!! You make bad life choices!

Now, look what you did!

Frisk is staring at you with a horrified expression.

You need to say something.

Anything!!

You attempt to gulp down the lump in your throat as you try to think of something to say.

You need to calm down, you can handle this. You know what you need to do.

You take a deep breath in and let it out.

_Just think carefully and don't say anything stupid._

You force a smile on your face. And in the calmest, nicest voice you can muster, you speak.

"H-hello!" You inwardly cringe at your voice. It’s the first time you really paid attention to it. It doesn’t sound like you. It’s higher pitched and a little squeaky...you don’t like it.

But nevertheless, you continue.

"My name is....umm...."

You pause. Uh oh! You need to think of a name!

Anything quick!!

_Petaley...Yellowey...Flowe-no! Agh Sunflower...._ _Dandelion...Tuli-Oh no wait I got it!_

"Dandy? Yeah! Dandy the Flower."

You pause for a second.

Wow...that's...that's a terrible name.

You should've picked Sunny.

And of course, only now does it occur to you that....you really didn't need a false name.

Well...great. Nothing you can do about it now. It's already been established.

Frisk takes a hesitant step backwards.

_Oh no, I'm screwing this up!!_

"D-don't worry! I'm not-...I don't want to hurt you. I'm not like Flowey...I...."

You pause as you lower your gaze. How much do you tell them? You fiddle with your leaves nervously in front of you. They’re waiting for you to continue.

It…It wouldn't hurt to tell them some things, right?

You look back up at them, but you quickly look away.

Their gaze on you is nerve racking.

"Well...I was actually human once..but ...I got -...something-...well..." You can feel yourself getting tongue tied.

This was hard! Normally, you could manage to have a polite conversation without fumbling this badly. But your nerves are getting the better of you.

_Oh god, I bet I look like a moron..._

You sigh, your smile falling into a frown. You are feeling drained, but you need to continue.

"It's a..well- a bit hard to explain. And I know it sounds...strange but..."

You pause and look up at them. A halfhearted laugh escapes your lips, your mouth twitching into a nervous smile.

"You got to admit..this isn't the weirdest thing that’s happened to you today, right?"

The kid seems to relax, if only slightly.

_Well...it's a start._

"Anyways, I'm not sure if you figured out yet..but I've been-..I'm the one that's been following you..and...well..."

You start to feel more confident. You look into Frisk's stare and smile hopefully.

"I want to help. I want to get you out of here. The underground is no place for a kid. And who knows...maybe I'll find a way to change back too."

You pause for a moment, looking up hopefully at the child before you.

"So, what do you think? Will you let me help you?"

Frisk looks to the ground as they fiddle with the cuffs of their sweater. They seem unsure.

You feel your spirits sink. You know that didn't go over well...you can feel it.

You had looked like a complete fool!

_Let's face it, the kid probably thinks I'm an idiot now._

But this was their choice. You don’t want to force them into something they’re not comfortable with.

You sigh, a feeling of dread looming over you.

"It's your call, kid...I won't follow you anymore if you say no."

You wait patiently for their reply. At least, you hope that's what you look like. On the inside, you’re sitting on the edge of your nonexistent seat.

Frisk takes a moment, but surprisingly they look up at you with a shy smile. Then, they nod their head.

You are a bit surprised, but at the same time delighted.

Guess they must believe you, huh?

"Great!" You exclaim, a huge smile on your face.

It feels as if a huge weight has been lifted off you. The anxiety is gone, replaced by a bubbly excitement.

"Ok..well then. Next order of business is that…well.. I need some help."

You are pleased to notice that you’re not fumbling over your words anymore.

_Thank god..._

Your leaves begin to gesture in front of you as you continue your explanation.

"See, I'm kind of new to this whole...flower thing and umm..you see that enormous cliff over there."

You gesture to the cliff behind them. They glance quickly at it before nodding.

"Well, I messed up and almost fell to my death off of that thing. Needless to say, I don't want to do that again. In fact, I don't even want to go near it but-ow!"

You winch as you pull your leaf away. You had subconsciously tried to pinch the bridge of your nose again. The pain quickly dulls to a throb and you let out a sigh.

You try to ignore the pain in between your eyes as you continue.

"We need to get to Snowdin. So, I was thinking...maybe you could...I don't know...carry me across or something?"

Frisk thinks a moment and then nods with a small smile.

You smile cheerfully back, this is going well.

"Great!" You look down at the base of your stem and experimentally wiggle your roots. You cringe a little when you try to move the injured one. But other than being painful it is working just fine.

"I think I can uproot myself so just...umm.."

You look back up at Frisk.

"...grab me around the middle." You pause before hastily adding "But don't pull! Not until I tell you to, ok?"

Frisk nods.

The kid approaches and squats down before you. They seem to inspect your stem for a moment before reaching towards you. They hesitate. Their hand hovers over your stem. They seem unsure where exactly to place it. Finally, they just grab you under your leaves.

Pain.

You’re overcome by crippling, gut wrenching pain. It’s so sudden you don’t even have time to let out a scream before it gets caught in your throat.

You're shaking, you can't breathe and you can't speak. Your senses are blurred, your eyes unfocused.

Then, you feel the tightening grip your stem.

You're reminded of where you are.

"L-let go..." You manage to whimper.

The pain gets more and more intense each passing second. It’s agonizing...

"Let go!" You force out a little louder.

You feel the corners of your vision darken, you're gonna pass out. You force yourself to breathe, but it comes out ragged. With one last painful breath, you squeeze your eyes shut and scream.

"LetgoLetgoLetGOLETGOLETGO!! "

Frisk’s hand is instantly gone from your stem. As suddenly as the pain had started, it stops. You're suddenly able to focus your eyes. You watch as the kid stumbles backwards until they trip and fall to the ground.

You sit there, panting.

The pain is gone but your innards still tingle uncomfortably.

_What..what the hell was that?!?!_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your support! It's so nice to hear that people are enjoying this story and I can wait to show you guys what's in store!


	5. Too Close for Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****IMPORTANT*****  
> For those of you who read chapter 4 BEFORE 1/24 this will seem REALLY familiar to you.
> 
> I split chapter 4 because it just seemed too long to me and I felt it was throwing a lot at the read at once. 
> 
> For those of you who are waiting for a new chapter DO NOT PANIC!!! I am in the process of uploading one and it will be done shortly!
> 
> That is all!
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

That was...terrible.

It was like nothing you've ever felt before in your life. You couldn't explain it, but it wasn't anything external. It had radiated from your core. The closest thing to describe it would be an intense, painful, internal screaming. It crushed you from every angle, pushing you against itself.

Now you feel more drained than you were before.

You stare at Frisk and they stare back at you with wide, frightened eyes.

_What...what did they do??_

A faint red glow draws your attention. You look down and pause. The grimace you didn't know you were wearing instantly melts away.

Frisk’s soul.

It is floating inches in front of them.

You can't help but stare at it, and it dawns on you that this is the first time you had actually looked at it. All the other times it was obscured, you only caught glimpses of the red light that emitted from it. But now, it's right before your eyes.

It feels warm and inviting.

But something doesn't seem right. You just can't put your metaphorical finger on it.

You glance at the kid's face. They look really tense. You look back at the heart, then at the kid, then the heart.

_Oh....OOHHH!_

Something finally clicks. You quickly shake your head and wave your leaves frantically in front of you.

"Oh! No no no no! Kid, I didn't mean-...I didn't know...put..put that away. I don't want to fight you. Here just..."

You're not sure what to do. You reach like you're going to push it back in but quickly pull away. You don't want to hurt them, so you just fiddle with our leaves nervously.

Eventually, the heart disappears back into their chest.

You let out a sigh of relief. You look up at Frisk and you feel regret twist a knot in your stomach.

"I-I'm so sorry!" You hastily say. "Are you- I mean- oh jeeze..I'm sorry! I had no idea that would happen. I swear! I don't want to hurt anyone!"

You shake your head frantically. How could you let this happen? Everything was going so well?

 _D_ _id I_ _-_ _? Oh no...._

Turning your gaze back to Frisk, you reach a leaf out before quickly pulling it back. Better just keep them to yourself. You nervously rub your leaves together as you look up into Frisk’s face.

"I'm- I mean..Are you ok? Did I-...did you get hurt?"

Frisk doesn't respond but they get to their feet. They look down at themselves as they rub their head tenderly. After a moment they look up at you and, with a small smile, give you a thumbs up.

You sigh in relief. Well, if they did get hurt they seem fine now. And they still seem to trust you too.

"You're ok? That's good. Let's just-...I think we should try something different. Do you..umm have something I could hold onto? Or get in? Or..I dunno. Something you can grab me with?"

Frisk thinks for a second, then reaches in their pocket and pulls out the tough glove and puts it on.

_Huh, smart kid._

"Ok, that should work. Just in case, just...poke me. See if anything happens."

Frisk bends over and cautiously pokes your stem. Other than a little pressure from contact, you're fine.

"Cool! Ok! This will work. Now just like before."

Frisk reaches down and grabs the same place as earlier.

Their hand rests gently on your stem.

"Ok, let me just..."

You wiggle a little as you pull your roots out of the ground. You become a bit unsteady as you yank out your supports one at a time. The small hand around your steam is the only thing keeping you from falling over. There's some pain when you pull the injured root out, but other than that it comes out fine.

A moment later and you're out of the ground. The lack of substance between your roots is oddly unsettling, but you try to ignore it.

"Ok, I'm out. I- _Wah_!"

You're surprised when Frisk picks you up. Frisk gives you a concerned look. You laugh nervously. "S-sorry, I'm not used to being carried."

You try not to squirm. It's a little nerve racking being off the ground like this. But it was either this or the cliff....

You shake the thoughts of the fall out of your head. You look up at Frisk with a small smile.

"But anyways, we should probably get going."

Frisk nods and heads towards the bridge. You can't help but feel tense as you near the cliff.

But as Frisk steps onto the bridge, you relax a little. The bridge itself is surprisingly stable, making you feel a bit better.

Actually, now that you think about it...isn't the bridge supposed to be some weird rock formation? You're not really sure how that works.

Wait, if that was the case...couldn't you have avoided this whole interaction by just going through the earth bridge?

.....

.....

_Oh for the love of...!_

You smack your leaf to your face, then instantly regret it as the pain returns. You cringe and pull it away.

You really need to stop doing that.

Frisk lifts you up a little more and looks down at you in concern.

"Hmm?" You question, but then realize they must've seen you hit yourself. "Oh! Never mind...I just..thought of something silly...ignore me."

_Well, that's embarrassing..._

They shake their head and with their other hand point at their own face.

"...your face hurts?" The words are so quiet, so tiny you can't believe you’re able to hear them.

_Huh...guess they can talk._

_Oh! Right! They asked something!_

"Oh! My face? Yeah, I kinda hit it against the cliff when I almost fell. It's nothing. I just...forget about it sometimes."

Frisk thinks for a second, then they nod before continuing forward.

The walk across the bridge continues in silence. You're too busy trying to keep your mind off of the possibility of falling off the edge.

Suddenly the kid stops again, you look up at the kid's face. They're looking at something behind you. You’re about to ask what's up when you hear a familiar voice.

"HUMAN!" The voice bellows. "THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE!"

_Oh...oh no._

You forgot about the skeleton brothers!

Why do you keep forgetting things?!?

Now, they’re right behind you!

This is the closest you've been to them yet!

They can't know you’re alive!

You look back up at Frisk and quickly whisper. " _Psst_! Kid!" They turn away from Papyrus, who is continuing his explanation, to look down at you. "You can't let them know I'm alive, ok?"

They give you a questioning look.

"It's hard to explain...just...act like I'm a normal flower, ok?"

The kid continues to look at you strangely.

"Meaning stop looking at me like that!!"

"ARE YOU READY?!" Papyrus shouts.

The kid looks up, and they seem to finally notice the various traps and dangers in front of them. They shrink back a bit, pulling you a bit closer. It is a bit uncomfortable, but between Frisk's firm grip and the warmth coming off of the flamethrower nearby...you're finally warming up.

"BECAUSE...I'M...ABOUT....TO DO IT!!

Frisk takes a hesitant step back. You sigh and shake your head.

"Don't worry..." You exasperatingly state. "...he's not gonna do it."

You both wait and, just like you said, nothing happens. The skeletons bicker in the background as you take this moment to whisper to Frisk.

"See...told ya so!" You chime.

With a sweet smile, you add. "He's too nice to hurt anyone."

Frisk gives you a quick glance, smiling as well.

The skeletons finally finish their spiel. You have to stifle a giggle as Papyrus lets out his ridiculously contagious laugh and runs off.

The two of you finally get across the bridge, much to your relief.

You’re about to tell Frisk what to do next when a voice interrupts you.

"hey, kiddo. come here for a second." It beckons.

You instantly freeze....

_Sans! oh no...._

This...

This is bad.

As Frisk turns and walks over to the short skeleton, you try not to move a muscle.

The kid stops and you feel a presence behind you.

You can't see him, but you know he's there. Part of you wants to try to take a little peek but you dare not chance a glance.

"you're gonna face my brother soon, huh?" The short skeleton casually asks.

Although it could've been a rhetorical question, Frisk nods their head anyways.

"welp...just remember what i said about blue stops signs and you'll be fine."

You continue to stare at Frisk’s blue and purple sweater, hoping that their conversation is over.

"by the way..." He suddenly adds "..that's a weird looking flower you got there."

_Oh no...._

You feel Sans shift a little closer.

You can feel him looming over you. From what you can tell, he seems to be only a foot taller than Frisk.

"never seen one like that round here before. where'd ya get it?"

You notice something move out of the corner of your eye.

Great!

Guess Sans wants a peek at you too!

You try to stay perfectly still, but you have a feeling you might be quivering in fear. To your relief, Frisk pulls you tighter against them.

They seem like they trust you enough to keep you a secret.

But you knew this act was going to look suspicious.

Sans pulls away and you hear him lightly chuckle.

"heh heh! come on, kiddo. i just wanna look. not every day you see something new. specially down here." His voice is a light hearted tone, but you can't help but think that somewhere under it you can hear a bit of....something else.

_Wait....does he....._

…

No.

He knows about the resets but there's no way he actually remembers them.…

Right?

You feel a ping of guilt, cause lets face it....you knew that a lot of those resets were probably you and you weren't always so nice.

You think for a second, and then you get an idea. You make a small noise to get Frisk's attention. They lower your gaze to you.

With their attention, you focus on your face, your eyes, and your mouth. With a little tug, you pull them all in.

It takes a moment, but you feel Frisk’s warmth fade away as you feel yourself shift. Frisk doesn't let go, but you can tell you're being held out in front of them. It only takes a second before you notice another presence in front of you.

If you weren't tense before, you are now.

You can't tell how close he is. But the warm puffs of air you feel on your face seem to indicate that he's pretty frigging close!

You feel him shift around you. You try not to think about the intense stare he’s probably giving you.

"huh." The blast of warm air hits you dead in the face.

"that sure is something. even in this cold...it's still alive."

With that, you feel him pull away. "i'd hang onto that flower if i were you. really seems like something special."

After a moment, you feel movement again and hear the crunching of Frisk's footsteps. The child gives you a little squeeze on your stem. You hesitantly pop your face out.

"Is he gone?" You whisper.

Frisks smiles and nods as they stroll into the small, quiet town.

You let out a breath that you didn't know you were holding.

"Whew! That was close." You mumble to yourself. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted, and you’re finally able to relax.

You smile as you think back to what just happened.

"Wow." You mumble more to yourself. "I've never got to see him that close before. Not that I actually got a chance to see him. But still!" You look back up at Frisk, excitement starting to rise within you. "It's kind of cool being in the middle of everything and… you know, not just watch from the side lines. It's, actually getting really exciting."

You start to feel giddy as you reflect on your encounter with Sans.

"I mean! Wow! He was..like..right there! Oh boy!"

You can't help the small laugh that escapes.

With excitement swelling within you, you looked up at Frisk and ask.

"Hey! How close was he, anyways?"

You begin to gesture with your leaves, holding them at various distances away from your face. "Was he like this close? Or this close?"

Frisk giggles as they hold their other hand about an inch away from their face.

_Oh my god!_

You try to suppress the laughter that threatens to escape but it only causes you to make a very unattractive ' _pfft_ ' sound. Eventually, the laugh wins out anyways.

"Hahaha! Really? That close?! Oh, Cheese and Rice! That's hilarious! Ya know, if I wasn't trying to be seen, I could've scared him soooooooo bad! I mea-"

You stop as you take a glance up at Frisk. They are just smiling down at you, listening to your every word. You suddenly feel your face heat up.

You’re making a fool of yourself again.

_They probably think I'm so friggin weird._

You let out a little nervous laugh before lowering your gaze.

"Heh...I got a little over excited there, huh?"

You look back up at them, a shy smile on your face. But Frisk just gives you a questioning look. You start to fiddle with your leaves again. "Sorry, I ...umm...I get caught up in stupid stuff sometimes. Just...just forget what I was saying."

You push any remaining giddiness aside for now as you try to focus on what's next.

"Anyways, now that we're across the bridge, I can take it from here. Just find a spot to put me down where no one can see."

The kid nods before taking a brief look around. The kid seems to perk up at something you cannot see and quickly hurries towards it. With you in hand, they quickly duck in between two little houses. You look at your surroundings before nodding in approval. Frisk bends over and gently sets you on the snow covered ground. Immediately, you dig your roots in. A shiver crawls up your spine as you settle in.

Wow! You forgot how cold the ground was. Being held by Frisk must've really spoiled you. Speaking of, after you settle in, the kid releases you and straightens themselves.

You smile gratefully up at them.

"Great! Alright, kid. Papyrus should be waiting for us on the other side of Snowdin. You go get some supplies and I'll meet you there, alright?"

Frisk frowns and looks away. That’s different. You give them a concerned look, tilting your head to try to catch their gaze.

"Hey, what's wrong?" You ask. But Frisk doesn't respond, they just grip their arm and rub it nervously.

You think a moment before speaking again.

"Are you...are you worried about fighting Papyrus?"

The kid seems to shrink further down, but they give a small nod.

You feel a warming sensation in your core and you can't help but feel empathetic. As you lean a little farther to catch their eye, you smile at them warmly.

"Aw, kiddo. It'll be fine! Trust me! Papyrus is way too nice to really hurt anyone. He'll probably just try to wear you out and capture you. And when that happens, I'll bail you out. Ok?"

Frisk looks at you. After a moment, they smile and nod.

"Alright come on, kid. What are you waiting for? Get going! _Petal_ to the metal!"

You pause for a second.

Did you.....?

You try to stop the laugh that was forming, but it’s no use. The sound is forced past your lips and you laugh at your accidental pun. You try to calm down but to no avail. You’re acting like an idiot again.

"Ha ha! Oh boy! Ha ha! S-sorry! I-ouch!"

Your laughter dies out as you pull your leaf away. You had accidentally touched your face again.

The pain soon dulls to a throb and you sigh.

"Heh heh...That's getting ridiculous..." You mumble quietly.

Frisk looks down at you, a thoughtful expression on their face. You’re about to ask what's up before they begin to dig for something in their pockets.

They pull something out that you can’t quite see before squatting down to your eye level. You look at them questionably, not really knowing what they’re up to. Then, they hold something in front of your face with both hands. Before you realize what they’re doing, they press it firmly but gently to your face.

Suddenly, you feel...better.

You reach up between your eyes to feel what's there. You feel something smooth and a little squishy.

 _Oh_!

You can't help but smile a little.

"Hey, thanks! I feel better already." You say as you poke the band aid a bit to make sure it's good and stuck. Frisk beams at you as they stand back up.

"Ok, but really. You should get going."

Frisk nods before running off, seemingly more excited than before. You watch as Frisk disappears around the corner and you shake your head.

_That silly kid..._

Let's face it. This is probably a terrible idea.

Going and revealing yourself to the main character?

It's probably going to come back and bite you in the butt later. But right now, you didn't care about that. You're helping, you're a part of this story now, and you're having fun!

Of course, you were helping earlier too. But there was just something missing before.

Earlier you felt..well...like there was a barrier between you and the world around you.

Now, you aren’t just in the game.

You feel _connected_ to it....

You feel like your _apart_ of it...

Your thoughts are interrupted when you feel something shift on your face.

Curiously, you reach up and touch it. The band aid is starting to peel itself off. You try to stick it back down but it doesn’t want to stay.

Then, it dawns on you and you’re a bit horror stricken.

This is Frisk’s band aid.

....Frisk’s _used_ band aid.

 _Ewwwwwwwwwwwww_!!!


	6. NYHE HEH HEH!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This! THIS is the new chapter! Hope everyone likes!
> 
> I have some things I'm going to post on Tumblr. I have decided that I might as well post this story there at least. As well as some related art stuff. 
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

_Hmmm...that's not quite right either._

You adjust your leaves a bit more and blow into them again.

_Ah! There it is!_

You play the notes in sequence. It sounds closer to what you want but something still seems off.

_Come on, I should be able to do this. It's not that hard..._

You huff before looking down the path to your right.

_No sign of them yet._

It's been a while since you and Frisk had split up.

After ( _very affectionately_ ) ditching the used band aid, you had cautiously traveled through the streets of Snowdin. It didn't take long for you to reach the other side, where you now patiently waited. You found a nice spot between a set of trees on the edge of the fog. It was a spot where you could see when someone was coming down the path, yet far enough away from Papyrus so that he wouldn't hear you practicing.

But...even if he did, you're pretty sure you’d hear him coming. Papyrus was not exactly the definition of "subtle".

Even now, if you listen closely, you can almost hear him talking to himself.

You smile at the thought of Papyrus giving himself a little pep talk. He's probably trying to convince himself that capturing the human was a good idea.

You sigh and shake your head.

_Oh, Papyrus..._

You turn back to your leaves and try playing the tune again.

You had played quite a few melodies while waiting. Most of them were fairly simple. This one was more complex, but not by much.

As you're playing, you get to the part you're having trouble with.

_Hmmm..._

You stop the melody and sigh. It still didn't sound right.

You think of the melody again as you hum it to yourself.

_Jeeze. What's wrong with it?_

You huff in frustration before you mutter to yourself.

"I'm at least getting close...it just needs to be fine-tuned a bit."

You pause for a second as you process what you just said.

" _Pff_ _!!_ "

A few giggles escape.

Wow! That's like..what...the 2nd pun today?

Oh boy, what's with you lately? Why do these keep slipping out?

At least no one's around to hear it this time.

You don’t want to look stupid again.

It's not that you didn’t like puns. Actually, you loved bad jokes! You knew a ton of them!

It's just....they made you feel like a moron.

After all, you're an adult now right?

You really shouldn't find stupid grade school jokes so funny.

Or act like a child when you get overly excited about something.

Or play silly little video games, for days and days in a row...

_Cause guess what? That's what you did....and look where that got you._

You feel your good mood instantly deflate as you internally scold yourself.

_You should've just stopped while you were ahead._

_Why did you keep playing?_

_You should've just returned the stupid flash drive when you found out there were files on it!_

_Now you're a flower! And you have no idea how to fix this._

You shake your head as you try to ride yourself of those thoughts.

_Enough of that now, it's not helping..._

No need to dwell on things you can't change.

You try to think of the positives.

_I mean, I'm in the game! How many people get this chance?_

.....

Now there is an interesting question.

…

You would rather not think of that right now.

_Come on! Happy thoughts!_

You look down the path again, but it's still empty.

_You got to meet Frisk! That's good, right?_

You can't help but think about how freakin adorable the kid was! Yeah, the band aid thing was gross but it's the thought that counts, right? That kid seemed like they had a good heart, but they also seemed easily frightened and unsure of themselves.

 _Well...what did I expect? They're like...what 7? 8? Stuck in an unfamiliar place with a bunch of weird monsters!_ _Friendly and funny monsters...but monsters none the less._

You hear a loud, familiar cackle. Your head snaps in the other direction. But no one’s there. You giggle as you shake your head.

_Oh boy...he must be raring to go!_

And then there were the skeleton brothers. Sure, you couldn't really interact with them. But just being nearby, knowing that they were really here...it was enough to make everything seem better.

You feel like you haven't been paying much attention to them since you came down here. But you suppose you've been too worried about keeping tabs on Frisk, huh?

_Yeah, that's got to be it._

Those two really were something. You remember the first time Sans pulled the whoopie cushion gag. You laughed so hard you had actually fallen off your chair. And the rest of the level was no better. Between Sans' jokes and Papyrus' silliness...you were laughing for hours!

When it can down to it, you really had no choice. You had to like them! You just had to.

They were just...

_...so awesome!!!_

With your mood improved, you smile and turn back to your leaves.

_I know I can do this!_

You're filled with determination.

You play the song again.

You reach the part and......

Hey! You did it! It sounds perfect!

You feel a pleasant warmth spread through your core.

_Ha! Got it!_

And Heck! Maybe being a flower wasn't so bad after all, right?

You hear footsteps and you head immediately snaps up.

Frisk is coming. You feel a sudden rush of excitement for the upcoming events. You take a cautious look around. Making sure no one’s nearby. Then, you try to get their attention.

" _Psst_!" You whisper. Frisk’s head lifts up from the path and they look around.

" _Psst_! Hey! Over here!"

With that, their eyes fall on you and they immediately smile. Frisk hurries over, in an almost half walk/half jog fashion.

They reach you and crouch down to your eye level.

"Ok, got everything you need?" You ask.

They nod excitedly. Then, they give you a curious look and point to their face.

"Huh?" You question before you realize what they mean.

The band aid!

You didn't really think they would ask about it, but now you feel a bit bad. They had given it to you out of the goodness of their heart...as disgusting as the thing was.

"Oh right!" You look away as you nervously fiddle with your leaves.

"It umm...well it- I couldn't get it to stick...so..it kinda fell off."

Noticing the kid's face fall, you look up at them with a smile and hastily add.

"B-but I feel a lot better now! Really! Thanks a lot, kid!"

It was true, whatever magic was left in that band aid must've healed you up pretty well. Your face really doesn’t hurt anymore, though your root is still pretty sore.

Hearing this, Frisk beams at you. They seem happy to help. Your smile widens, but you remember that you need to focus on the plan.

"Ok, so here's what we'll do." You explain. "You go on ahead and talk to Papyrus. I'll be right behind you, like normal."

You glance down the path, the layer of fog still thick.

"I don't think hiding is gonna be a problem, so that's one less thing for me to worry about."

You turn back to Frisk.

"You remember what Sans said about blue attacks, right?"

Frisk nods.

"Good! Just a heads up though...he's gonna have something else up his sleeve. But it's nothing to worry about."

You see that Frisk is looking nervous again. You try to give them, what you hope is, a reassuring grin.

"Hey! Remember, this is Papyrus. He doesn't want to hurt us....so try to just have fun. Ok?"

Frisk ponders your words. Then, they smile and give a very firm nod.

"Alright, well. Go on then! I'll be right behind you!"

The kid quickly hurries off into the dense fog. You quickly follow.

You can't help but notice they seem to walk with a little bit of a spring in their step. They seem a lot more at ease than earlier. They even seem to be looking forward to fighting Papyrus.

And honestly, you're feeling a super excited as well.

This was your favorite battle after all! Papyrus just made it so much fun!

After a little ways in, Frisk stops and you pop up right behind them. You shiver a little.

You swear, one day this cold was going to be the death of you.

"HUMAN!"

You freeze. You peek out from behind Frisk. It’s a little hard to see in the fog, but you can make out the faint shape of a very tall being standing a ways away.

"LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS..." Papyrus bellows.

_Oh boy..._

Your leaf comes up to cover your mouth. This was one thing you didn't count on.

Papyrus is ridiculously funny. Even though it was usually completely unintentional.

Which just made it even funnier.

Even after hearing the same lines over and over again, you still can't help but laugh.

But now is not the time!

_Don't laugh! Whatever you do...don't laugh!_

"THESE FEELINGS...THEY MUST BE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW!"

" _Pffft_!"

_Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!_

Good god!

How come you're having problems NOW?! You've been following these guys since you got out of the Ruins! You could always hear every word they said! You were holding it together fine then!

_Come on! Keep it in!_

That's right! Before you weren't really focused on them, so maybe you can just block him out for a bit.

You try to think of something else, anything else.

Finally, you manage to distant your mind long enough for him to finish.

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS! THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD!!" You hear him declare.

You sigh in relief.

So, on top of helping Frisk with the battle, you now have to keep from laughing. This might be harder than you thought.

But you can’t back out now. Frisk is counting on you!

You look up at the back of Frisk. They seem much more confident now. The tough glove is on their hand and bandana on top of their head. You can feel the determination pouring out of them.

They are ready...

You are ready...

_Let's do this._

"Ok, kid...lets show Paps what we got."

Frisk nods, and with that the battle begins.

The battle starts off slow, Frisk easily side stepping the tiny attack. The bone scraps into the snow as it flies past you. You notice the deep gouge in the earth as it passes. It seems like you can't just duck underground to avoid getting hit, you'll have to get out of their path completely.

_Great..._

On the kid’s turn, you tell Frisk to flirt with Papyrus to knock him off guard. Truthfully, you just thought it would be adorable to see the kid’s reaction. The kid turns a bright red, but they manage a little flirty wave at the skeleton. You have to stifle a giggle at this.

It's just too cute.

Soon after that, you tell Frisk to try sparing Papyrus...but to watch out cause he’ll do something unexpected.

Papyrus initiates his blue attack, and you both stand completely still. You wait for a moment. Suddenly, Frisk collapses and falls to the ground.

You gasp. You weren't really expecting _that!_

You duck down low in hopes that Papyrus still won't notice you. You watch as Frisk tries to pry themselves off the ground. Leaning in, you ask them in a hushed voice.

"Jeeze! Kid, you o-" you stop when you notice a bone come hurdling towards the two of you.

_Oh no..._

You tap frantically on Frisk's pant leg.

"Kid-kid-kid-kid-kid!!"

The bone is getting closer. Frisk is on their hands and knees now, but they’re still struggling. They still don't see the attack. You feel a panic grip down on you.

_They're gonna get hit!_

_They need to get up!!_

_COME ON!!!_

Frantically, you yell.

"DAMMNIT FRISK!! MOVE ALREADY!!!

Instantly, Frisk head snaps up. They scramble to their feet. You quickly duck out of the way. You pop up to see Frisk just barely making it over the obstacle.

They stumble, and it looks like there’s a huge weight on their back. You quickly pop over to them. You notice that there’s a faint, blue glow where it used to be red.

"Hey, you ok?" You ask in concern.

Frisk nods, and through gritted teeth you hear. "...just...heavy.."

You sigh in relief. "Good. Jeeze, that was close."

Of course, the next attack is not as fortunate. You watch as a bone trips them up and they get smacked in the head by another one. You wince, that's got to hurt.

You wait as Frisk pulls out a Cinnamon Bun and eats it.

As you sit there, you remember to flex your roots. Ducking underground so much was getting you rather chilly. And you're so focused on the battle you had almost forgot you need to keep them moving.

It's then that you hear it. It's not very noticeable, but you can hear something oddly familiar.

Curious, you focus on it. It seems steady, like a beat. The more you focus the more you can hear.

It's...a song...and it's one that you recognize...

_...wait...that’s..._

You're surprised, to say the least.

_Oh my god! It's Bonetrousle!_

You knew it well. It’s the melody you were trying to play earlier....but...

Why can you hear Papyrus's theme song?

You haven't heard any other music since you got here. So, why now? And where the heck is it coming from?!?!

You notice that Frisk is done eating their roll. So you try not to question it anymore for now.

As the battle continues, Frisk does pretty well avoiding the attacks. They stumble over a few but don't get hurt too badly. After a while, you notice Frisk seems to be smiling as they dodge bone after bone. You can't help but smile too. Even if you weren't the one jumping over bones, you couldn't help but think that this was really fun. You try not to focus too much on what Papyrus was saying...but you almost burst out laughing when he starts yelling at the annoying dog. When you finally get to the last attack, you swear you hear Frisk giggling as they fly over row after row of bones. How they manage to jump that high...you have no idea.

Then, Frisk finally gets the chance to "Accept Papyrus' Mercy."

And with that, the battle is over.

You hear Papyrus talking in the background, but you can't really pay attention to it.

You are panting, you are tired, but there's a smile plastered on your face.

You did it, you beat him...but damn that was hard!

You try to catch your breath, though you're still not quite sure how a flower can breathe.

Despite the fact that you just had quite the workout, you are freezing! You were popping in and out of the ground so much that you’re feeling pretty frosty now. You look down at your leaves, there's a decent layer of frost on them. You cup them together and breathe on them, careful not to accidentally make a sound. Luckily, just being out of the ground makes you feel a little warmer. You breathe on your leaves until the frost disappears. It’s then that you realize Papyrus is almost done talking.

_Wow...guess I was pretty cold, huh?_

"ANYWAYS! THAT'S ENOUGH TALKING! I'LL BE AT HOME BEING A COOL FRIEND! FEEL FREE TO COME BY AND HAVE THAT DATE!"

You notice that Frisk stiffens at the mention of their "date" and you snicker quietly to yourself. They look so embarrassed, it's adorable!

"NEYH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!"  
  
You stifle a laugh at Papyrus's cackle before watching him...pretty much jump over the both of you.

_How the heck...?_

But just like that, Paps is gone.

You look up at Frisk, who had turned to watch Papyrus leave.

"Wow. Some fight, huh?" You watch as Frisk looks down at you with a smile. They lift a hand to rub their head tenderly.

That's right. They got bonked on the head.

"You got hit pretty hard there. How you feeling? You ok?"

Frisk takes a moment, but they smile down at you and give a thumbs up. You sigh in relief. At least they're not hurt too badly.

"Good! You got me a little worried. I don't think Paps meant to hit that hard." You think back to the battle and remember it was about that time you had heard the music.

You wonder.

"Speaking of…did you hear anything while we were fighting? You know, like music?" You ask them curiously.

Frisk looks down as they think about it, but then they look up and shake their head.

You lower your gaze as you hold a leaf to your mouth in thought.

"Huh, that's weird." You muse.

_Guess it's just me then..._

But why? Why can only you hear it?

You quickly shake your head. You decide not to dwell on it for now.

Turning back to Frisk, you smile. "Anyways, you did good kid. But you're looking about as worn out as I am. Why don't we take a little break before moving on?"

They give a little laugh as they nod in agreement. "Why don't we go meet up with Papyrus?" At this, you notice the kid turn a little pink. You smile suddenly turns sly as you give them a knowing look "After all," you chime "You still have to meet Paps for that _date_." You give them a little wink.

Frisk instantly turns beat red and pulls up the collar of their sweater in an attempt to hide their face. You internally 'aww' at their cuteness.

You giggle a little at their reaction. You try to give them a reassuring look as you say. "Come on, kid. I'm just messing with you. No need to get like that."

They lower their collar but still appear a little flustered.

Of course, they never really answered your question.

"But seriously, do you want to stop and visit for a while?" You ask.

Very slightly, Frisk nods their head

"Great! Let's go then!"

With that, Frisk starts heading in that direction. You follow, popping into and out of the ground.

As you get close to the house, you notice Papyrus outside.

You quickly stop just short of the shed. You dare not risk getting any closer.

You can't help but sit there and watch him.

It's the first time you had a good look at the tall skeleton. All the other times your view hadn't been the greatest.

First thing you notice is that he's tall...really _really_ tall. Like, he could be a basketball player tall.

He's just standing there, looking out in front of him at nothing in particular. A smile plastered on his face...though you're still not sure how a skeleton can have facial expressions. His chest is puffed out a bit and his arms are crossed over his chest.

Even just standing there he radiated confidence.

And if you didn't know any better, you would've felt intimidated.

In fact, when you first saw him in the game you thought he was going to be evil....but then you got to know him and he was the exact opposite.

Instead, standing there he feels...reassuring. He was always there when you came back to Snowdin. You knew he had your back. And you could always count on him to do the right thing.

Or at least..try to do the right thing. His naive nature sometimes got you in trouble. But he always meant well.

_He definitely lives up to his self-proclaimed title..._

It's then that you notice Frisk had stopped too. They are looking at you questionably.

Oh, you must've been staring.

"Oh! Umm...." You glance over at Papyrus, making sure he isn’t paying attention. But it seems like he’s completely oblivious. You turn to Frisk and give them a small smile.

"Looks like I can't go any further."

Frisk looks disappointed, but you try to remain cheerful.

"Hey! No worries, I'll just....wait by the shed until you’re ready to go."

You think that’ll be the end of it. That Frisk will just run off and go hang with their friend. But they don't move. Instead, they look away and rub their arm nervously.

"What is it?" You ask.

They look back at Papyrus, then to you. They seem to be questioning your behavior.

You look away and sigh. You can’t tell the kid everything. How would they take it if they found out that this was all just a game? Probably not well...

"Look, kiddo. Like I said before, it's hard to explain."

What comes out of Frisk's mouth is not something you expect.

"....don't you like them?"

If you had been walking, you probably would've tripped and fallen flat on your face. They think you don’t like them?!?! Papyrus and Sans?!?! To say you are taken aback is an understatement.

"WHA?! OF COURSE I-!" You shout, but then remember the skeleton a few feet away. You lower your voice but you continue. "Of course I like them! They're great!" You couldn't stop the words from coming now, even if you tried. You gesture wildly as you rant. "Papyrus has a heart as big as the sun and Sans? He's got sooo much chill and he's just plain hilarious! They're both flippen amazing! I would love to meet them! Heck, I'd be delighted if they just said two words to me!"

You look up at the kid and put extra emphasis on your next words.

"But I _can't_! If they find out that I exist...then I don't know what will happen! It could mess-...it could be a disaster! So, I have to stay hidden. They can't know about me!"

You sigh as you shake your head.

"Besides, I don't even know what to say to them."

You laugh half-heartedly before muttering to yourself.

"I'd probably just...say something stupid."

The kid doesn't say anything. They just sit and look down at you. It’s getting uncomfortable under their gaze. You look up at them and try to smile reassuringly at them.

"Look, you better get going. Don't worry. I'll be right here waiting."

Frisk seems a bit reluctant but nods. They turn and start walking to Papyrus. They glance back, but you just smile and wave at them to keep going.

They turn around and continue walking. You watch as they speak with Papyrus, who seems delighted to see them, before they hurry off.

You watch them leave and sigh.

You suddenly feel disheartened. As cool and great it is to be here, it's depressing knowing that you can't even say hi to your favorite skeletons.

Then again, there was no guarantee they would even like you. They could just think you were a moron and not want anything to do with you.

You quickly shake your head, you didn't like that thought. Besides, you knew one of them would like you for sure! After all! Papyrus likes everybody!

Sans though....it was hard to say.

You look back up the path, and you notice something. You instantly panic.

_Oh, Fish and Chips! They're turning around!_

You quickly duck into the ground and hide. Wow, that was close...you almost forgot about that, huh?

After a moment, you feel the vibrations as a door slams shut. You pop back out and survey the area. No one's around.

You sigh.

Well...

Looks like it's just you for now.

You try to remind yourself that it's better this way..but...still...

...you can't help but feel a bit lonely.


	7. Punny...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Got another one for ya!!
> 
> Also! Posted a sprite of "Dandy" that you can see here:  
> http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com/post/138313644764/i-was-bored-one-day-so-i-decided-to-make-a-sprite
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

You play a couple random notes.

But, no melody comes to mind.

You want to play something…but you just don't feel much like it anymore.

You peek around the side of the building and glance up at the front door. After Frisk had stepped inside the skeletons' house, you had retreated behind their shed.

So...here you wait, near the corner of the shed next to a frozen flower that…well...makes you a bit uneasy to say the least. But you want to make sure you can spot the kid when they exit the house.

You figure with everyone inside, you're relatively safe playing a little more kazoo.

But…

You stare down at your leaves, trying to think of another melody.

It seems like after a couple of songs, you just aren't up to it anymore.

You let out a sigh as you lower your leaves in defeat.

Didn't this always use to put you in a good mood?

Well…guess things change, huh?

You sit there for a moment in silence.

...

Now what?

You didn't want to just sit there and do nothing.

You look at the ground. The snow seems to be sparkling back at you.

For no particular reason, you take a leaf and press it into the snow.

It's cold.

What else did you expect?

Mindlessly, you move your leaf around and watch as the snow easily sticks to itself.

You continue to push the snow around with your leaves. Soon, you realize that you're pushing all the snow near you into a big pile.

You take a moment to warm your leaves before continuing.

You start slowly building it higher and higher, packing the snow down as you go. It's a little difficult. You can't lift much snow with your flimsy leaves. Plus, you have to occasionally stop to defrost them a bit.

It's a bit weird, you feel like you're just doing this to do something...but you don't really feel any sort of _joy_ out of it.

Finally, you stop when it's about the same height as you.

_Huh...well..you just made a huge mound of snow...congrats...now what?_

You sit for a moment, pondering your next course of action.

Then, you start using your leaves to round out of the top portion. You pack the sides in a bit as well, making it look like a round sphere sitting on a cylindrical body.

After you're done, you take the tip of your leaf and draw two little dots for eyes and a small mouth.

You move back a little and study it.

It didn't really look like a snowman. It didn't have arms or a nose…and it didn't really have much personality.

It was just a pile of snow with a face.

_Well...at least I did something..._

You shiver as you feel the cold creep up your stem.

Oh right, your roots.

You wiggle them a bit. They stick to the frozen earth but with some effort they release themselves. Soon, they are back to normal and the cold feels more tolerable.

You peek around the corner again at the cozy cottage.

_That looks warm...._

_....._

_But no Frisk yet._

You wonder how long it's been.

You shift back behind the corner and look at your surroundings. It seems…different. Nothing too noticeable, but...

Is it getting darker out?

You suppose it's possible, the light that illuminated the underground could come from anywhere. It could be the sun filtering in through some gaps in the cavern or maybe it came from the core. You may never know, but one thing is for sure.

_It's getting late._

You shiver again as you feel another chill pass through you.

_And it's getting colder too!_

Frisk will probably be tired.

But...

Where will they sleep?

_I wonder if they have enough gold for the inn. I hope so, they can't hardly spend the night on the ground._

But, with no sign of Frisk yet, it looks like you'll just have to wait to find out.

You turn back and take another look at your creation. The permanent smile on its face reminds you of someone.

You perk up just a tad as an idea pops into your head.

You instantly get to work again, this time with a little more enthusiasm. You hollow out the eyes a little more, making them bigger as well. You (literally) wipe the smile off its face and replace it with a wider, toothy grin. You move onto the torso and draw in a jacket and some arms. After shaping it a little more, you move back again.

Well, you aren't a sculptor that's for sure but it doesn't look half bad.

You just made your own personal snowman skeleton.

You feel a sense of pride fill you.

Now to give him a name....

_hmmm...._

_Oh my god! I got it!_

You feel a bit giddy as you write into its torso.

 _"Punny, the Snow_   _ **S**_ ** _ **a** ns_ ** _"_

You can't help but giggle to yourself.

Yeah, it's a dumb name but boy it’s so fitting!

It's then that you realize....that you just _literally_ made a friend.

You chuckle a bit as you slap a leaf to your face.

"Wow..." You say as you shake your head. "I don't think this is what people had in mind when they came up with that phrase."

You lower your leaf and look up at the snowman.

You smile cheerfully at it as you shrug. "But, hey! Whatever works right?"

You lean closer to it as you beam. "At least I got someone to talk to now, huh?"

Of course, the snowman doesn't respond.

You try to suppress your giggles as you feign offense.

"Hey," you scowl...but the corner of your mouth keeps twisting upwards. "You don't have to be so _cold_. No matter, I think in time you'll _warm_ up to me."  
  
You can't hold it anymore and you dissolve into a fit of giggles. You wrap a leaf around your midsection as you cover your mouth with the other one.

 _Oh god..._ **_that_ ** _was bad._

Your giggle fit soon subsides.

You look back up at the sculpture and smile slyly.

 _But I can do soooo much_ **_worse_ ** _!_

"Maybe we can even go to Hotland sometime! Just as long as you don't have a _meltdown_."

You snicker to yourself again.

Wow, these are terrible! At least no one is around to hear you.

A wide, devious smile crawls on your lips.

"Hey, what do you call a snowman that does a lot of sit ups?"

Your smile widens even further.

"The _abdominal_ snowman!"

You snort a bit as you laugh behind your "hands".

Then you hear it, and for a second you freeze.

A giggle...but it isn't yours.

It came from right behind you.

You quickly twist around.

Standing there, with their hands covering their mouth, is Frisk.

You feel your face heat up in embarrassment.

_Oh boy..._

They heard you, oh god how long have they been standing there!? How much did they hear?!

You feel your shame crawling on your back.

"Oh! H-hey!" You try to greet cheerfully, but at this point you're not sure what to say.

How do you recover from that?!?

"You're...umm...you're back! _Heh heh_..." A weak laugh escapes your lips.

You look like a complete idiot! How could you let this happen!? And now they are laughing at you!

You fiddle with your leaves nervously as you try not to look Frisk in the eye. You knew what would happen next...

Frisk crouches down to your eye level. But you lower your gaze further yet. You can still save this, right? Just try to play it off.

"I was-..I mean-...ummm..." You stumble terribly. You feel your face heat up even more, and you wish you could hide right now.

Great...

Gold job playing it cool.

Very con-

"...you're funny..."

_Wait...what?_

Shocked, your gaze immediately snaps up. The kid is smiling back at you. Genuinely smiling. With no hint of criticism in their expression.

You stare at them, still trying to process exactly what they had said.

"Ahhh..you think I'm...funny? Really?" You ask as you rub one of your leaves with the other.

They give you a very definitive nod. You feel your core lighten as you look away, feeling your face flush a bit more.

"Oh, I umm...didn't expect that." You mumble.

Wow, you haven't been called _funny_ in a long time.

 _Stupid_...and _an idiot_...you remember more clearly....but _funny_?

"Well then...umm..."

Part of you knows that you shouldn't push your luck, but another part is practically giddy at the opportunity to spew more childish jokes.

And well, Frisk is a kid. So it only makes sense they like stupid jokes too, right?

....

_Ah..what the heck!_

Cautiously, you lean closer to Frisk and ask them.

"Do you know what they call a snowman in the tropics?"

You pause for a second as Frisk smiles and shakes their head.

" _A puddle_!"

Frisk covers their mouth as they giggle again. Your core swells with joy and excitement. It feels great to make someone laugh again. Your smile widens as you continue.

"Where does a snowman keep his money? In a _snow bank_!"

They laugh a bit louder now, and you can't help but join them. You settle down before waving a leaf to get their attention.

"Ok ok ok, I got one more. What does a snowman call his cow? An _Eskimoo_!"

The kid laughs so hard they fall backwards into the snow, clutching their sides tightly. You place a hand on your face as you laugh just as hard. In the back of your mind, you can't help but think how great this is. It feels good to share a laugh with someone.

You shake your head and try to settle yourself down. Your laughter subsides, and you can't help but feel a bit sheepish. You can't believe you just said all that.

"Heh heh, wow." You smile shyly up at Frisk, who’s now getting to their feet. "Sorry, I..um...I got a little carried away. So, how was it? Did you have fun?"

They nod frantically.

You let out a laugh.

 _Must've been_ **_really_ ** _fun._

"Good, glad to hear it." Your smile falls slightly as you remember your next course of action.

"So, now what?" You ask them "I mean, it seems like it’s getting dark. How are you feeling?"

Their smile disappears as they rub their eyes. You give them a sympathetic look. They had a long day.

Both of you did for that matter.

"Tired, huh?"

They nod.

"Well, do you have enough money for the inn? You can stay the night there if you want."

The kid pauses for a moment before looking to the ground. They mumble something that you can barely hear, but you’re able to catch the word ‘ _sleepover’_.

You’re a bit confused for a moment before you realize what they meant.

"Oh! The boys asked you to sleepover? Really?"

They nod.

You look away for a moment, pressing your leaf to your mouth in thought.

"...didn't expect that..." You mumble to yourself.

It's a bit strange. This _never_ happened in the game, did it?

You glance at Frisk and realize that they’re giving you a confused look.

_Oh! Crepes I said that out loud._

Hastily, you add. "B-but I suppose why not, right? They would be nice enough to offer, huh?"

Frisk doesn't say a word. They just stand there and wait for... _something?_

Exactly what? You're not sure, but it feels a little awkward.

"Well, why don't you go on inside then?" You offer.

Frisk seems to shrink down a little bit and they begin to rub their arm nervously.

"...what about you?" They ask.

 _Ah,_ **_that's_ ** _what this is about._

Now you feel even more awkward. Honestly, you don't have an answer. If you stay out in the cold all night, you'd probably freeze. And you really had nowhere to go.

But you didn't want to tell Frisk that.

Knowing the kid, they would just be worried about you.

"Oh, well...I can ju-...I'll find somewhere warm, don't worry." You give them, what you hope is, reassuring smile.

But Frisk still seems troubled.

They sit there for a moment, and you're about to say something when they suddenly perk up. They signal for you to wait a moment before they run off. You sit there, wondering what on earth that kid was up to. In a minute, they come back carrying something. Gripping the rim of the object with both hands, they set it on the ground in front of you. You study it for a second.

It's a bucket...a metal...rusty bucket. Filled with some brown crumbly stuff, which you can only assume is dirt.

You look up at Frisk and furrow your eyebrows in confusion. "What's that for?"

Frisk motions towards the bucket with their head.

"You..." You glance back down at the bucket, and then back up at Frisk "You want me to get in it?"

Frisk's smile widens as they excitedly nod.

"Oh, well I...guess...ok"

Honestly, you're not exactly sure what Frisk's plan is. But you can't say no to that beaming face, right?

You look down at your roots as you wiggle them loose. You place a leaf on the side of the bucket for balance as you pull your roots out one by one. "Actually, this is a great idea. You can bring me in the shed or something...I bet it's warmer in-Ah!"

You gasp in surprise. Pulling the last root out caused you to become extremely unstable. You wobble as you place your other leaf on the bucket's edge for stability. But you miss it and instinctively reach out to the closest thing to hold onto.

Which in this case, is Frisk’s un-gloved hand.

You wince as the pain from earlier floods through you again. The pain tears through you and you subconsciously pull your leaf away from the contact.

The pain stops as abruptly as it had started, but you lose your balance and fall backwards. You feel yourself crash into something before landing on the ground with an _'oof!!"_ You lay there for a moment, trying to process what had just happened.

But you aren't really sure what to think of it.

It had happened again, but it seemed less intense this time. It was so quick though, that it's hard to say for sure.

But why? Why does this keep happening?

You decide now is not the best time to think about it, and instead you sit up. Snow is piled around you, and you soon realize what it was you landed on.

_Poor Punny...he was so young..._

You feel a bit sad that you had lost him already...but...

You shake your head.

There are more important things to worry about right now.

You look up and see Frisk on the ground as well, the bucket abandoned on the ground between you. They’re sitting with their legs stretched in front of them, their soul hovering near their chest...just like before. They are holding a hand to their head and are rubbing it tenderly. They’re staring at the ground in front of them, with what looks like a troubled expression on their face.

_Oh no! Did I hurt them??_

You feel a twinge of guilt. This is entirely your fault.

"S-sorry! Are you ok?" You ask the kid, looking them over to see if you can find any injuries. Your eyes linger on their soul for a moment. It still didn't look right to you. But you don't want to dwell on it, last time the kid seemed really freaked out by it.

Frisk looks up at you and you meet their eyes. They take a second, but they nod and get to their feet. You watch as the soul quickly fades into their chest.

Then, Frisk walks over to the bucket and holds it once again. Looking up at you, they smile warmly.

You sigh, at least they seem fine.

"Ok, let me try again. Watch your hands."

Cautiously, you push yourself up off the ground. You wobble a bit but stay standing. You carefully grab the edge of the bucket, making sure your leaves are as far away from Frisk's hands as possible. Feeling secure, you lift one-half of your roots over the edge, then the other. You don't let go of the edge until your roots are firmly planted. You try to spread your roots out more, but you are restricted by the metal walls. Despite this, you manage to get a secure footing..or...in this case _..rooting_.

Feeling stabilized, you let go of the bucket and straighten yourself.

"There!" You say as you look up at Frisk.

They smile down at you as they lift you into the air. You're a bit startled as they begin walking, each step causing you to sway involuntarily. But, despite how unsteady you feel, it's more comfortable than dangling helplessly with nothing beneath you. You look down at your base and wiggle your roots, testing out the confines of your container.

"Hey, it's not half bad. A little bit tight on space but-" You stop when you look up at Frisk.

Their eyes are set dead ahead, a small smile on their face. But it isn't Frisk that causes your pause, but what you see over their shoulder.

You can see the shed.

The brothers' shed.

Frisk is…walking away from it??

"Hey...umm..isn't the shed.." You begin to question, but stop when Frisk turns and seem to shift their weight even more so.

Like…they’re walking up steps.

Behind you, a golden light shines brightly which must've been quite the contrast to your horror struck appearance. You spin around to see the solid oak front door. The festive wreath decorating it should've filled you with festive cheer, but instead it fills you with a dreadfully sickening feeling. Frisk shifts you to one arm as they reach for the doorknob, the cheerful smile still on their face. They seem oblivious to your distress.

You keep frantically looking between the kid and the door.

"Oh...oh no kid wait-!"

But Frisk is already opening the door and stepping inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I PROMISE there will be more Sans in future chapters...I just had to get this all set up...NOW....NOW is where the real fun begins!!!


	8. In Plain Sight...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya!! This one got kinda long...but I didn't think anyone would mind ;) It got a little hard to write so hopefully it turned out ok. 
> 
> Also! If you haven't seen it yet. I made a little side comic for fun. It's unrelated to the main story line. http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com/post/138526298569/im-not-even-sure-how-to-explain-thisreallyno
> 
> I've also made some Dandy sprites. http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com/post/138806861832/just-some-more-sprites-of-dandy-floweyreader
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

Frisk crosses the threshold of the cabin and the warm air instantly wraps around you. It would be comforting if not for the fact that you have other things on your mind right now.

Like...now totally screwed you are!

You only catch a glimpse of the interior before the sight of a figure looming in the kitchen causes you to quickly turn away. Facing Frisk, you try to give them questioning look.

_What are you doing, kid!?!?_

But they pay you no mind. Instead, they close the door behind them and stamp the snow off their feet, all while wearing a small pleasant smile.

"OH! HUMAN!"

You hear Papyrus greet loudly. You watch as Frisk looks past you, their smile growing wider. They shift you to get a better grip, firmly grabbing the sides of the bucket with both hands.

"YOU'RE BACK! YOU'RE JUST IN TIME FOR - FLOWEY?!?!"

Your whole body stiffens.

_Oh no!_

You hear footsteps approaching.

You feel panic rise within you, this is bad. Quick! You need to hide! But ho-

_Oh! Right!_

For a brief second, your eyes lock with Frisk. You give them a stern look before you quickly pop your face in.

All you can do now is sit and wait.

And hope Frisk doesn't reveal your secret.

The steps continue to get closer...

"WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE! I DIDN'T KNOW THAT YOU AND FLOWEY..."

You feel the bucket shift slightly. It suddenly feels like something is looming over you. You wait, the silence almost painfully so.

"Oh..." He sounds disappointed, his voice dropping a little in volume.

_Wow... he can actually lower his voice?_

But the next moment it's back to its normal, booming loudness. And you almost flinch as it startles you.

"MY MISTAKE, HUMAN!"

_Jeeze! Papyrus!_

You feel the presence shift away from you and you have to suppress a sigh of relief.

"IT SEEMS THAT I HAVE YOUR TINY YELLOW FLOWER MIXED UP WITH ANOTHER TINY, MORE TALKY YELLOW FLOWER!"

_....wait...wha-?_

But you don't have time to really process what was said.

"hey bro..." A familiar mellow voice greets.

You feel your non-existent stomach drop.

_Sans to?!? Well, this is just great!!_

Things just keep getting worse and worse for you, don't they?

"OH SANS! THERE YOU ARE! WHERE ON EARTH HAVE YOU BEEN?!"

"my room.."

"DOING WHAT?!?"

"nothing."

"WELL! YOU COULD'VE BEEN DOING NOTHING DOWN HERE! WE HAVE A GUEST!

"hm?" There is a momentary pause before Sans must have finally noticed Frisk standing there.

"oh...hey, kiddo. still here, huh?"

"I OFFERED THE HUMAN A PLACE OF REFUGE UNTIL THEY ARE READY TO CONTINUE THEIR JOURNEY!"

There’s a pause. For some reason, the silence makes you even more uneasy. Probably because you can't help but image Sans' gaze burning a hole through you right now.

The silence only lasts a moment before it's broken.

"really?" San asks. "welp...guess i could hang out down here for-"

"OH NO! YOU NEED TO SET THE TABLE WHILE I PREPARE DINNER!"

"sorry, no can do. trying to break a record."

"RECORD!? WHAT RECORD?!"

"the record....for longest time spent doing nothing."

"SANS!!!"

You have to suppress a snort of laughter as you practically _feel_ the frustration radiating off of Papyrus. After a moment, you hear him sigh in defeat.

"FINE! IF YOU INSIST ON BEING LAZY THEN AT LEAST KEEP THE HUMAN COMPANY WHILE I DO EVERYTHING MYSELF!"

"ok."

You hear the sound of squeaky springs. You assume it was Sans sitting down on the couch, but without actually _seeing_ it...you can't say for sure.

"ANYWAYS!" Papyrus states, returning to his more joyful tone. "HUMAN! IN A FEW MOMENTS YOU WILL HAVE THE HONOR OF GORGING YOURSELF ON MY MOST BRILLIANT CULINARY MASTERPIECE YET! NYEH HEH HEH!"

Once again, you have to suppress a snicker.

The retreating footsteps signal that Papyrus is returning to the kitchen.

Frisk starts to move further into the house. You're not sure where they're taking you, but every part of you is internally screaming at Frisk right now.

_What were they thinking!?_

_What part of them thought that THIS was a good idea?!?!_

Without warning, Frisk stops and you feel yourself teeter back and forth. It's a nerve racking feeling. You feel like you're going to topple over at any second. After a moment though, you're set down on something hard with a little "thunk". You sway a bit as Frisk adjusts the bucket. Then, when you finally feel solidly in place, you hear Frisk walk away.

You notice that there's a slight chill on the back of your stem, but you're not sure why.

_Where did they put me?_

You inwardly groan. Not being able to see anything is getting really irritating.

Suddenly, you hear Sans speak.

"hey, kid. glad to see you're sticking around. we don't get too many house guests. not sure why."

You think that you hear a small explosion from the other room. But Sans doesn't even acknowledge it.

"but it's a nice change. looks like you're still hanging onto that flower, huh? i bet it's much more comfortable in here than outside."

_You bet your boney butt, it is!_

"but...is that the bucket from behind the house?"

You freeze, cause you're pretty sure that's where Frisk got it.

_....wwwhhyyyy???_

"cause you know that's not _dirt_ in there, right?"

You feel your stomach drop, and suddenly...you feel really squeamish.

_Oh..oh god..please tell me it's not..._

"...it's _soil_."

_Sans! Oh, you son of a biscuit!!!_

You hear Sans chuckle.

"what? there's a difference. no need to give me that _dirty_ look."

You can hear Frisk giggle. Then after a moment, Sans speaks again.

"hmm? what is it, kid?"

You can hear Frisk's voice, but they're so quiet that you can't make out anything they're saying.

"a snowman joke?" sans asks "sure let's hear it."

_......_

_Wait…_

_That's not..._

_Is it?_

_....oh boy._

You suddenly feel nervous.

It's one thing to tell those jokes to Frisk. They're made _for_ little kids...probably _by_ little kids!

But Sans? Would he actually like such a stup-

You hear a deep chuckle.

You stiffen.

"hey. not too shabby, kiddo. where'd ya hear a joke like that?"

 _He...he liked it?! Really?!_ You feel practically giddy. _He liked it! He liked it! He liked it!_ Then you realize you should probably calm down before you actually start _vibrating_ with glee.

"a friend told it to you? anybody I know?"

You listen intently, curious as to what the kid will tell them.

"what do ya mean _kinda_?"

_Kinda? Really?! You could've just said no!_

"shy, huh? welp, that's too bad-"

Sans is suddenly cut off by a loud timer going off. Or…is it the smoke alarm? You can't really tell, but it's quickly silenced.

"HUMAN! SANS! MY MASTERPIECE IS READY FOR CONSUMPTION!"

There is a creaking sound as you hear Sans get off the couch.

"alright. remember kid, just hold your breath while chewing and you'll be fine."

"SORRY, DID YOU SAY SOMETHING BROTHER?!"

"just telling the kid you got great _skillets_ in the kitchen"

Frisk giggles and Papyrus' groan fills the air.

A pleasant bubbles sensation begins to form in your core.

"what? isn't that what being a great chef _boils_ down to. "

You snicker quietly to yourself.

"SANS!!"

You suppress the laugh that threatens to spring forth.

_Oh god...I need to keep it dow-_

"i know. i'm im- _pasta_ -ble."

The snort is out before you can catch it. You freeze as you try to keep the rest of that laugh from escaping. You think you might be trembling from the effort, but it's hard to tell.

"huh? hey, didja here something?"

You freeze as you feel panic begging to rise in your center.

_Aw Fudgers!!_

You wait, trying to keep perfectly still.

You can't get caught! You can't!!

After a moment, Sans hums in thought.

"hmm..welp...guess it was nothing."

You relax a bit.

That was close.

 _Way_ too close.

_Oh god..._

How are you gonna survive this?

\-----------

Dinner passes by in a similar fashion. The skeleton brothers bickering, and Sans throwing out a terribly _wonderful_ pun from time to time. Truth be told, it's kinda fun. Like watching a movie…or..listening to it anyways. Actually, not being able to see seems to make it a bit easier to hold your laughter in, if only a little.

After dinner, the brothers get the couch set up for Frisk. By "brothers”…you really mean just Papyrus.

"THERE!!" You hear him shout. "ALRIGHT HUMAN! THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS READIED YOUR SLEEPING STATION!! BE WARNED! ONCE YOU ARE WRAPPED IN THIS COCOON OF COMFORT! YOU WILL FALL ASLEEP SO FAST IT WILL MAKE YOUR HEAD SPIN IN YOUR DREAMS!!!"

_Hehe...that's pretty fast._

There is a pause.

"WELL, GO AHEAD HUMAN!"

You hear a combination of rustling fabric and squeaking springs. Eventually, it grows silent.

"uhh...i think you might've gone a little overboard with the pillows, bro."

"NONSENSE! YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY PILLOWS!!"

Another pause.

"....HMMM...ACTUALLY....LET'S CUT IT DOWN TO SEVEN FOR NOW."

_Seven!!! Guys! Seriously?!?_

You can't help but wonder how many they had before. The image of Frisk buried under a ridiculous amount of pillows fills your mind.

You hold back your laughter.

"HUMAN! IF THERE IS ANYTHING YOU NEED PLEASE LET US KNOW! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS (AND YOUR GREATEST FRIEND), INVITE YOU TO STAY AS LONG AS YOU LIKE!"

"ya, tonight's been fun."

"GOODNIGHT, HUMAN! AND MAY YOU HAVE THE GREATEST OF DREAMS!"

"night, kiddo."

You can't help but inwardly _aww_...

You hear the brothers start to shift away, but something must've stopped them.

"hmm?" Sans hums in question.

"YES, HUMAN?"

You hear the kid’s voice but can't really pick up what they're saying. Then, Sans speaks up.

"seriously, kid?"

"YES, I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHY...BUT...IF IT WOULD MAKE YOU HAPPY...THEN, OF COURSE I WILL!!"  
  
After a moment, Sans responds as well.

"eh, why not?"

You hear the boys’ footsteps as they begin to move again. You're not exactly sure what Frisk would've asked them to-

-wait...are they getting closer?

Your whole body goes tense.

_Oh my god! Kid! What did you tell them?!?!?_

Suddenly, you feel like something is standing right in front of you.

You’re not sure what to expect, which makes it even worse. What are they gonna do t-

"GOODNIGHT, TINY...NON TALKY YELLOW FLOWER!"

_Wait.._

Papyrus...just talked to you...

The presence shifts away and another one takes its place.

"heh...night,  _bud_ -dy."

Papyrus groans before you hear both of them walk away.

They..both just talked to you...

 _**"Heck, I'd be delighted if they just said two words to me!"** _

Oh.

That's right.

You said that to Frisk, didn't you?

A familiar warmth begins to spread through you.

You notice the soft glow behind your eyes disappear as the brothers flip the lights off.

You feel yourself relax a bit.

You hear the steps creak as they head upstairs, and eventually a door closes.

They may not have known you’re actually a living person, but just knowing they wished you good night...

_..Heh..._

You can't help but affectionately think to yourself _"...goodnight bone-heads."_

After a moment, you hear some shifting on the couch. Then, there’s the familiar soft patter of feet, followed by a little tapping sound on your metal bucket.

"Dandy?"

_Oh!_

You peek an eye out to see Frisk smiling up at you. Their little hands clutching the edge of solid surface you sat on.

You pop the rest of your face out and rub it vigorously.

It's a bit tingly from being held in for so long, but it quickly recovers. You stretch a bit as you take in your surroundings. You're finally able to see that Frisk had set you on the window sill next to the couch. That explains why your stem feels a bit chilly. To your right, you can see the small table where a joke book sits.

You finish stretching as you let out a breath of relief.

"Oh boy...that was..." You mumble to yourself.

What _wasn't_ it? It was scary, exhausting, tense...but fun.

And looking back on it...it was AWESOME!!!

You let out a chuckle as you shake your head. Turning back to Frisk, you give them a warm smile.

"Look...kid.." You whisper "I see what you did there and appreciate it...I really do."

Their smile widens.

"...but.." You continue, and you watch as their smile instantly falls. "..that was not a good idea. You know how close I was to completely losing it with that pasta joke?!"

Frisk looks down at their hands as they nervously pick at the edge of the sill. You sigh and shake your head, you really couldn't be mad at them for it. It all worked out in the end, right?

"Well, at least I won't have to worry about it anymore." You smile at the kid before adding. "We can head out first thing in the morning."

Suddenly, Frisk shrinks down. They begin to fiddle with their fingers nervously.

"What is it?" You ask.

The kid turns slightly and looks behind them. You follow their gaze, and eventually they end up on the tallest brother's door. There's a small light peeking out from under it and you can hear a quiet voice.

You can't help but smile when you realize why.

_That's right...Paps usually gets a bedtime story._

You turn back to the kid, whose eyes are still fixated on the door.

_Oh..they don't want to leave, do they?_

You sigh before you give Frisk a small, sympathetic smile.

"Kid, you can't stay here. You know that, right? It's not safe for you here." Frisk looks down at their hands. And after a moment, you frantically add "I-I mean, they w-...it's not that these guys will hurt you...but there are others who.." Your voice drops lower as you mutter "...who will try."

It's then that you notice the corner of Frisk's eyes start to leak.

_Aww..now look what I did!_

Frantically, you lean down to try to catch their eye...but they refuse to look at you.

"H-hey it's ok! I won't let anything bad happen to you, ok?"

But instead of getting better, they just shake their head.

"That's not it? Then, what's wrong?"

But the kid doesn't respond. More and more tears begin to fall down their face as they shake slightly. It's heartbreaking, you want to make them feel better but they aren't telling you what's wrong!

You reach out to them with a leaf but quickly pull it away again.

_Right...touching is a "no no"._

Instead, you lean closer to them and try to console them.

"Aww! Kid! It's ok! Really! Everything will be fine!"

But it doesn't seem to help. Small sobs start to escape as they bring their hands up to their eyes.

"Don't cry! Umm..." You try to think of something. Anything!

Then, you get an idea. It's probably a really _stupid_ idea, but the kid seems so miserable.

You have to try _something_.

"Hey, kid...here." You wave a leaf in front of their face to try to get their attention. They finally look up at you with tear filled eyes.

"Can you set me on the ground? I wanna show you something." The kid wipes at their face with their sleeve. After a moment, they grab the sides of your bucket and lower you to the ground. After you’re settled, you look up at the kid and give a little smile.

"Here," You whisper as you make a motion like you're patting the ground in front of you. "Sit down with me."

The kid sniffs as they kneel down in front of you. There, that’s better. You didn’t like looming over the small child, it felt too impersonal. More tears spill down their face as they stare at the floor. You take a deep breath, there is still that part of you screaming that this is a bad idea...but you choose to ignore it.

"Ok...this might get the boys attention...so...get ready to make something up, ok?" At this, the kid looks up at you and wipes their face with their sleeves again. They don't respond, but you continue anyways. You take another deep breath and let it out. "Ok..."

You suddenly feel a little nervous. This is the first time you've done this in front of anyone. And when was the last time you had an audience for anything?

But...you have to do it.

It might make the poor kid feel better...maybe...

You focus on the boys upstairs, you can still hear them. Hopefully, they are too distracted to hear anything else.

One last deep breath and you're ready.

You know exactly what you want to play. Thinking of the melody, you bring your leaves to your lips.

You close your eyes and begin to play as softly as possible. The melody is simple and even paced. It's one that you know well, so playing it is easy. This melody you’ve heard throughout the game. Variations of this same tune seemed to be everywhere in it. It played in your favorite place in Waterfall, in Asgore’s castle, and even at the end of the game.

You’re not sure what it's even called. You suppose you know it best just as "Memory.”

You open one eye to take a quick peek at Frisk. Their tear soaked features now graced with a look of awe. They lean forward as you continue to play, as if the music is drawing them in. And, very slowly, a smile spreads across their face. Their reddish eyes now filled with wonder and amazement.

_Wow...didn't think I was that good._

Suddenly, you hear a sound that stops you in your tracks. You quickly spin around and look up stairs. But there's no one there.

You're starting to feel a little paranoid. Turning back to the kid, you give an apologetic smile.

"I think I better stop for now. Feel better?"

Frisk smiles and nods, wiping their face with their sleeves.

"Good...look, kid. You can't stay here forever. But...I suppose it wouldn't hurt to stick around another day, right? And besides, it's kinda fun hiding in plain sight. I could have a lot of fun with this."

You giggle as you think of all the possibilities. You shake your head as you turn back to the kid.

"Anyways, try to get some sleep. We are going to have a fun day tomorrow. Ok?" The kid nods vigorously and they get to their feet. After thinking for a moment, you look up at the kid and say.

"Better put me back on the ledge first. If one of the boys wake up...this would be kinda hard to explain."

Frisk smiles and picks you up. They carefully lift you up and set you on the ledge. They shift you so that you’re in about the same spot as before.

"Ah, there we go." You say in satisfaction.

The kid gives you a smile before yawning. After a moment, you hear them mutter"...goodnight, Dandy..."

Smiley fondly at them, you reply "Goodnight, Frisk."

You instantly flinch.

Oh jeeze!...you just said their name.

But they don't even bat an eye. They just smile and head back to the couch. Now that you think about it, you've said their name before, haven't you? In the fight with Papyrus, but you were so worried about the kid at the time you didn't even realize it.

But, even then...they didn't even question it.

You watch as the kid to crawls into the overly plush couch and disappear beneath the blankets and pillows.

And just like that, all is silent. You don't even hear the boys upstairs anymore.

It's a little bit eerie....but also comforting.

You take a deep breath and let it out.

It's now that you feel it.

You're completely drained, exhausted both mentally and physically.

But despite this, your mind is reeling. So much has happened and you feel like you haven't really had time to process it. You've been too busy trying to find Frisk, figuring out how this body works, following the kid and trying to help them. All while trying to keep from being seen.

Now you're inside a safe, warm house with Frisk resting peacefully nearby.

Your mind is finally free to try to comprehend all that has happened. But, there's just so much! Where on earth do you start?

Well, first things first. How on earth did you get here? You just sort of...woke up like this. But before that?

You don't really remember.

You came home from work and then...nothing.

Well, seems like you’re not gonna get far with that train of thought. Besides, the more important question is how do you plan to get back? And change back! You can't stay a flower forever! Finishing the game is your best bet, but just the normal ending won't cut it. Only Frisk would be able to get out then.

No, you need to get the best ending possible.

You need to break the barrier...but then what?

Once the game is over, will it just...end?

Will you be ejected from the game?

Or will it simply...restart?

Heck! Maybe this isn't your first time round! That's a disturbing thought. You could be repeating yourself over and over and you wouldn't even realize it. There would be no way of knowing.

Well, there is one way.

There is someone who is an expert with this kind of thing. But then you might as well waltz right up to Sans and say "Hey, can you show me what a bad time looks like?"

Yeah...not gonna happen.

You'll just have to assume this is your first time through the game and leave it at that. After all, you'd like to think that you'd get some sense of deja vu and that hasn't happened yet.

Well, there is something but it's not deja vu. It's just...you can't help but think something isn't right. Besides the fact you're a plant.

No. It's just this...feeling. Like something is...heck..you're not even sure how to explain it...

You press a leaf in between your eyes and sigh. This is pointless. You're not getting anywhere, are you? You have too many questions and absolutely no answers.

Best just to give up and try to get some sleep for now..if you do sleep that is. You're not sure about that, but might as well try, right?

You try to get in a comfy position, which is hard when half of you is buried in dirt. Eventually, you end up leaning against the window frame with your leaves crossed in front of you.

It will have to work.

You close your eyes.

You're able to push most of your thoughts and questions aside for now.

Except…

One manages to sneak out.

Paps thought you were Flowey but said you weren't.

So, it's finally confirmed.

You're not Flowey.

You feel both relieved and a bit unsettled.

Flowey is supposed to be following Frisk, right? So, where is he? You should've seen him at least once already.

Then again, maybe Paps wasn't talking to himself earlier.

You try not to think about it anymore.

Eventually, you feel yourself fade away as you drift off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One thing I realized when writing this...it's hard to describe something when the character can't see it!! Look forward to seeing you next Sunday!


	9. In Which You Technically Get Dunked On...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was a little disappointed at the last chapter, may go back and just smooth it out a little. THIS chapter also gave me a hard time. I must've started over on it at LEAST 3 times. Next chapter should come easier, I know EXACTLY what I want to happen.
> 
> Also...it's really hard to write without the character being able to SEE things.
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

_You frown as you stare at the words before you, this has never happened before._

_It's freaking you out, you don't like it._

_You feel a chill crawl up your spine, this needed to end._

_You reach out to try to stop it...to stop everything....but you can't._

_Your hand won’t move._

_You look down at them resting on the surface before you._

_They look like they always had...except they are lying in a puddle of black tar._

_You pull on them, it stretches slightly but it holds fast._

_You pull harder, gaining some distance._

_But then it pulls back twice as hard, slamming your hands back down on the surface._

_The goo starts moving up your arms, crawling across your skin._

_**Oh god...** _

_Panic begins to take hold as you struggle even more._

_You quickly stand, knocking something behind you away. The goo falls to the floor and it seeps closer to your feet._

_You continue to pull on your hands while you try to keep your feet out of the gunk._

_This wasn't happening...this wasn't real!!_

_You run out of unoccupied space and your foot eventually slips into the puddle. Soon, the other follows._

_It starts crawling up your legs, you cringe at the sensation._

_**Oh god oh god oh god...** _

_You realize more words are appearing._

_This is a dream! It has to be a dream!_

_Then, you notice that more goo is oozing from the words in front of you._

_And the next moment, it lunges at you and-_

***Bam Bam Bam!!***

You jolt upright.

The sudden movement is almost enough to tip your bucket over. You feel yourself wobble on the narrow ledge as you fight to maintain balance. After a moment, you come to a halt.

You look around frantically, your mind still foggy.

_What?!? Where am I?!?_

Light is streaming in from the window behind you, bouncing off the burgundy walls.

You take a moment, panting.

You try to fidget with your fingers...but you can't...

_Oh GOD!!_

You quickly look down at them, but instead of hands... all you see are leaves.

At first, you're startled at the sight but then you remember that you're not human anymore.

_That's right...I'm.._

You feel your body relax a little.

Your breathing steadies as you gaze down at the foliage before you. You flip them around and look them over, but there is no black tar in sight. You relax a bit more as you let out a sigh of relief.

It really was just a dream...a really... _really_ bad dream.

You rub your eyes wearily and notice that your face feels a bit clammy. Apparently, you are secreting...something...water maybe? You're not exactly sure, but it isn't important right now.

That dream.

Something about it really bothers you.

You try to think back on exactly what was happening...

But some of the details...you just can't remember...

They seemed to have immediately vanished when you were startled out of your sleep.

Once again, a pounding sound echoes through the house. Your eyes dart to the source, landing on the wall of the 2nd floor. Of course, the wall is blocking your view but from what you can tell the sound is coming from Sans' room.

"SANS! GET UP LAZY BONES!!" You hear Papyrus shout. "YOU ARE NOT SLEEPING IN TODAY!!"

After a moment you hear footsteps and you realize that Papyrus is coming.

Quickly, you hide your face. You try to sit up straight but can't hold it. Despite just waking up, you feel worn out. That dream must've really messed with your sleep. So, you just try to remain still in your half slouched position.

You hear the stairs creak as Papyrus descends them.

"I SWARE! ONE OF THESE DAYS YOU'RE GOING TO SL-"

Once he reaches the bottom of the steps, he stops. You hear a little yawn that is much too quiet to be Paps.

"OH, HUMAN!! GOOD MORNING! SORRY, DID I WAKE YOU?!? MY APOLOGIES!!"

You hear Papyrus walk over to the couch.

"SANS TENDS TO TRY TO SLEEP IN ON OUR DAYS OFF! HOWEVER! TODAY WE HAVE A GUEST, SO I WILL NOT STAND FOR IT!!"

There is a brief pause before he speaks again.

"ARE YOU HUNGRY, HUMAN?! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL BE HAPPY TO MAKE YOU BREAKFAST SPAGHETTI!!! IT'S A LOT LIKE DINNER SPAGHETTI!! BUT WITH MARSHMALLOW CEREAL!!"

You cringe at the thought.

It's times like these you're glad you’re a plant and don't have a stomach. You hear Frisk say something, but you couldn't tell what.

"HMM? WHAT'S THAT HUMAN?!"

They repeat themselves.

"OH! OF COURSE!!! I CAN MAKE BREAKFAST SPAGHETTI HOWEVER YOU LIKE!!"

After Frisk mumbles something, there is a short pause.

"SO...YOU WANT ME TO MAKE IT WITHOUT THE NOODLES AND USE MILK FOR THE SAUCE???" Papyrus asks, seemingly contemplating the idea.

After a moment, he exclaims.

"THAT'S BRILLIANT!!! I'M SURPRISED I NEVER THOUGHT OF IT MYSELF!!!"

_Heh...nice kid..._

You hear the shuffling of footsteps near the stairs. They take a few steps and just stop. Papyrus seems to notice this as well.

"SANS!" The tall skeleton exclaims happily. "GOOD! YOU'RE UP!!"

It takes a moment before Sans responds.

"heh..yeah...." His voice isn't as chipper as usual.

It almost sounds like he's distracted by something.

You briefly wonder if something's wrong, but the next moment his normal carefree tone is back.

"mornin'. sleep well, kiddo?"

You can't tell how the kid responds but you assume it's good.

"COME, SANS! I WILL NEED YOUR HELP!!" Papyrus exclaims.

"with what?"

"BREAKFAST SPAGHETTI!!"

You hear the shuffling of footsteps again. "sure, just as long as you don't mind a good  _yolk_ or two."

You smile inwardly.

Frisk giggles but Papyrus groans loudly before shouting. "NO! NO PUNS!!!"

"what? my puns are _egg_ -cellent."

Frisk bursts into a fit of laughter.

"SANS!!"

You let out a brief, silent laugh. Normally, that would've been enough to cause you to struggle to suppress your laughter but right now, you are just too tired.

You hear their voices fade away as they step into the kitchen.

The room is quiet and your mind can't help but drift back to that dream. You know that dream is important somehow. There is just something...significant about it. But you can't figure out what it is.

"...Dandy?"

You jump a bit at the small voice. You didn't even hear them approach, but you can tell they are right in front of you.

"...are you ok??" They ask you.

You're partially touched by their concern for you, but another part is annoyed.

_Kid! Don't talk to me now!_

You want to tell them that and to tell them that you're fine. But, you're not sure if you should risk it. One of the boys cou-

"what ya doing there, kiddo?" Sans asks curiously.

_Wow, called that one._

You hear footsteps as Sans approaches the two of you.

Frisk must've given Sans a questioning look because after a moment Sans replies.

"me? eh, i got kicked out of the kitchen...guess i was just too hilarious for my own good."

After a moment, Sans asks again.

"so, what's up?"

There is a pause, like Frisk is contemplating something. Then, in a small voice, they say.

"...something's wrong with Dandy."

You internally cringe.

_FRISK! What the heck! Don't tell him I've got a name!!_

"dandy?" You can hear the amusement in his voice. "you named your flower?"

After a moment, he lets out a laugh.

"heh, you're a weird kid....and i mean that in the nicest way possible."

After a moment, you hear the rustling of fabric.

"here, let me take a look."

You notice that the kid must've stepped aside, cause it feels like someone a little taller is in front of you now.

You know Sans is inspecting you, but it's different than the first time he did so. This time, you're bent over slightly, just enough so he can't get up in your face. Your petals also feel like they are sagging more than usual, which is probably blocking his view. 

It feels like something is hovering over you.

"hmm..." the skeleton hums in thought.

The next moment, you feel something brush past your bottom two petals and rest lightly under your "chin". It slowly raises your head and tilts your face up.

It takes only a second for the pieces to click into place.

That's Sans' hand!

_OH SH-_

You are about to internally brace yourself for pain...

....but then you realize it should've happened already.

His hand holds you there for just a second before it lowers your chin and pulls away.

You're internally freaking out right now.

One reason being that you're completely confused as to why there was no pain.

Second being how hilarious it was because Sans didn't know you're alive.

_It's like playing dead!_

You snap out of your mini-episode when you feel the dirt in front of your stem compress.

The sensation is strange. He's not actually touching you, but you can feel the pressure in your roots.

Sans hums in thought before turning away from you.

"hey, kid. have you been watering this thing?"

Sans takes his hand out of your planter and moves away.

"plant care 101, ya gotta water 'em." There's a pause before he adds "wait here."

You hear footsteps fade away.

Well, guess you are pretty thirsty. Maybe that's part of the reason why you feel so worn out. When was the last time you had a drink? The Ruins? Yeah, that sounds about right. You could probably soak up water through the earth but you've been in Snowdin! All the water underground is frozen!

You hear footsteps again, and they stop right in front of you.

"this should do it."

Instantly, you feel a bitter chill wrap around the base of your stem.

_COLD!!!!_

It's like you just jumped into a frozen lake. Your stem involuntary straightens before you can stop it, and you sit in your planter completely rigid. You internally curse yourself, hoping that your sudden movement wasn't too obvious.

"see." Sans says as you hear him turn away from you. "it's looking better already."

You cringe as you inwardly scream.

_Jeeze Sans! Give me a break already!_

Between the soil comment from yesterday and now the ice bath today, you half suspect that Sans is messing with you on purpose.

The water around you quickly soaks into the soil and by the time it reaches your roots it doesn't seem nearly as cold. Your roots absorb the water quickly...which is a strange sensation but not an unpleasant one. It's like refreshing water is being pumped directly into your veins. And the bonehead was right. You feel a bit perkier now.

From the other room, you hear Papyrus call to them.

"SANS! HUMAN!! BREAKFAST SPAGHETTI IS SERVED!!"

"come on, kid" Sans says as he steps away from you. "better eat before he decides to put glitter in it."

You listen to the footsteps as they make their way to the kitchen. In the back of your mind, you wonder what the day will bring. Hopefully, the kid will have fun...but you? 

You quickly push that thought aside.

_Well...it doesn't matter...as long as the kid has fun...I'll be fine..._

Suddenly, the footsteps stop. Then, you hear footsteps quickly approach you again.

"kid what are you-" Sans begins to ask. But in the next moment, you feel something grab your bucket and take you off the ledge.

"Dandy's hungry too." Frisk happily states, surprisingly in a voice that was normal speaking volume.

You feel yourself bounce in your planter as Frisk hurriedly takes you with them. Sans lets out a laugh before you hear him follow behind.

"heh, alright alright. i think we still have some sprinkles we can feed it."

You can't help but silently giggle.

This is silly...and you LOVE it! 

Being right in the middle of everything and no one knowing that you're really a person!

It's hilarious on multiple levels!!

…

But..

You're also a bit worried. If the kid's behavior continues like this...

You silently wonder.

How long until the boys figure out your secret?

....

You give it until dinner.

\------------

Well, you’re at the end of the day...

And you have NO idea how the brothers haven't guessed that you're alive yet.

Maybe they chalk it up to a child's imagination, or that they just can't put two and two together.

But somehow, the kid had thoroughly involved you in every single activity that they did today...and the brother's still remained clueless.

After breakfast, Papyrus wanted to go over battle strategies (aka. play with action figures.) The kid had brought you with, and they both agreed that you'd be the enemy fortress. You spent most of the morning with plastic figures hanging off of you. You were a little afraid that the kid would accidentally touch you. Thankfully, Frisk remained cautious and let Papyrus do most of the "fortress climbing."

After lunch, Frisk and Papyrus had somehow gotten the idea that they NEEDED to make battle masks. They got out a bunch of crayons and paper before setting to work. Frisk had the idea to use your bucket as a stencil. At one point, they decided to make one for you and Sans as well. Papyrus easily put one on you and Frisk had caught Sans while he was napping. Or...maybe he just let the kid do it. Hard to say. With masks in place, they had commenced a "live action" battle scenario. You and Sans were the lookout since you couldn't move and Sans WOULDN'T move, leaving Frisk and Papyrus running and jumping all over the house. You think there might've been some sort of storyline to the whole thing...but it changed so much you just couldn't keep track of it. Sans was sure to throw a punny remark from time to time, and you had to bite back a laugh more often than not.

Soon, dinner rolled around and by that time you had accepted the fact that they really had no clue you’re a person.

Now, you sit on the ground next to Frisk. They roll the die for you and mumble the number to themselves.

At this point, you're not sure if you're winning or not...

Or what game you’re even playing for that matter...but you’re still having a blast.

"NYEH HEH HEH! WELL DONE, TINY FLOWER!!" Papyrus congratulates.

At one point during the day, the tall skeleton had started talking to you. You think he must've reasoned that if Frisk acts like you’re alive, then he should too.

"ALRIGHT, IT'S NOW THE GREAT PAPYRUS' TURN!"

You hear the rattling of the dice in his hand, and with a little "NYEH!" the dice roll across the board.

"NOW...LET'S SEE...IF I GO HERE...THEN I WILL BE ABLE TO CROSS THE BRIDGE AND-" Papyrus continues but pretty soon it's too hard to follow what he's saying. He often thought his strategies out loud, which were quite complex for a board game.

However, he abruptly stops in mid-sentence when Frisk starts giggling uncontrollably.

"HMM? HUMAN WHAT IS SO FU- **SANS**!!!"

You snicker quietly at the sudden outburst.

_Oh boy, you're so in for it now..._

Throughout the game, Sans has...well....

He's been cheating...very _badly_ cheating.

Without being able to see anything, it's kinda hard to tell _how_. But apparently Sans keeps switching his cards with Papyrus' when he isn't looking.

Papyrus has already caught his brother twice, partially because every time Sans cheated the kid would burst into a fit of giggles.

Actually, you're pretty sure that's the whole reason Sans is cheating it in the first place.

To make the kid laugh.

"SANS! IF I CATCH YOU ONE MORE TIME! YOU ARE GOING TO BE DISQUALIFIED!!"

"well...i'd say i was _sorry_ but we aren't playing that game right now."

"SANS!!"

"what? i'm i in _trouble_? cause we aren't playing that either."

"AHHH!!!"

Frisk laughs uncontrollably and you are trying so hard not to follow suit.

It doesn't take long for the game to end with Frisk winning..but somehow you came in a close second.

"wow..." Sans muses. "beaten by a flower...that's gotta be a new low for me."

Despite not even really playing, you can't help but feel a little smug.

_Call it payback from this morning!_

You hear a tiny yawn.

"OH. ARE YOU TIRED, HUMAN?! I SUPPOSE IT'S GETTING QUITE LATE. WOULD YOU LIKE TO REST HERE FOR THE NIGHT AGAIN?!"

After a moment, you hear Frisk answer quietly.

"...uh huh."

"WONDERFULL!" Papyrus exclaims in delight. "I WILL PREPARE THE COUCH OF COMFORT!!"

You almost laugh at that nickname. Honestly, where does he come up with this stuff?

It doesn't take long for them to clean up the game and get things ready for bed. After the long day, it feels strange to be back on the windowsill.

"THERE YOU GO! ANOTHER PERFECT RESTING PLACE! PREPARED BY YOUR'S TRUELY, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!!" After a moment, you hear the rustling of blankets and the squeak of springs.

"I AM SO GLAD YOU DECIDED TO STAY ANOTHER DAY!! TOMORROW, SANS AND I WILL HAVE TO PERFORM OUR SENTRY DUTIES. HOWEVER, IF YOU WISH TO JOIN US THEN YOU'D BE MORE THAN WELCOME!"

After a moment, you hear footsteps.

"GOODNIGHT, HUMAN! GOODNIGHT, TINY FLOWER!"

You inwardly smile.

_Goodnight, Paps!_

"night, kiddo. night, buddy."

 _Night, BONEHEAD!!!_  You think as you quietly snicker to yourself.

You listen as the footsteps ascend the stairs, the lights turning off in the process.

After a moment, a door closes and all is silent.

Not waiting any longer, you pop your face out.

It feels almost completely numb. That had to be the longest you've held your face it yet and you doubt you could've held it in for much longer. You take your leaves and rub your face vigorously, trying to get it to wake up. It takes a bit longer than last time, but eventually, it perks up again.

Looking up, you notice the kid is sitting on the couch's armrest. They are watching you with a huge smile.

You can't help but think back on the day and laugh. "Hehehe... wow... what a day, huh kid?"

They giggle in response, kicking their feet as they dangle off the ground.

You smile as you watch them. Just think of how much stuff you would've missed if the kid had just left you on the ledge all day.

You think for a second, and then you give them a small smile.

"Hey...umm..thanks for...you know...everything today. I think it wou-...it was a lot of fun." 

They smile up at you gleefully, in a way that seemed to crinkle their eyes even more. You laugh and shake your head. What was it that people use to tell you? That you "smile with your eyes." Until now, you had no idea what that even meant. 

_Guess that's what it means._

You let out a little laugh before turning back to the kid, who suddenly looks a little distracted.

"Hey, what's up?" You ask.

They look up at you and ask in a quiet voice.

"...are you better?"

"Huh?"

"...this morning..."

It takes a moment before you remember. Frisk was really worried about you earlier. It seems like so long ago, you had completely forgotten about it.

"Oh, yeah..." You say plainly, before quickly adding in a cheerful tone. "I'm fine now. I was just...kinda tired yet. The water helped...."

You let out a little laugh. "but...next time don't let him use freezing cold water, ok?"

Frisk smiles briefly before it turns serious again. They point to their throat.

"....he touched you?" They ask, and though it might've been a statement and not a question, you nod and answer it anyways.

"Yeah, but it didn't hurt or anything." You think for a moment before mumbling thoughtfully to yourself. "Maybe it's cause he doesn't have skin?"

You shake your head, turning your attention back to Frisk.

"But anyways. You should really get to sleep, kid. It's getting late."

Frisk smiles and lowers their gaze.

"...umm..." They begin to fidget with their sleeves. "...can you play again?"

They look up at you with hopeful eyes. You're a bit surprised. Sure you knew they liked it, but you didn't think they liked it THAT much.

"Really? You want me to play?" You ask, just to be sure.

Frisk smiles shyly before giving a little nod. You can't help but smile back, feeling your cheeks warm up.

Honestly, how can you say no?

"Well...ok. Just a little." You think for a moment before quickly adding. "But you have to lay down first. Ok? It will be easier to hide if the brothers decide to come downstairs."

Frisk nods excitedly before crawling back into the mess of pillows and blankets. You wait until the covers go still before you think of a tune and begin to play.

You play for a while, just odd tunes here and there. Eventually, you hear a noise and you stop. After a moment, everything is quiet. You turn to the lump of blankets. Only a little tuff of black hair can be seen.

Quietly you call to them. "Frisk?"

They don't move. You just see the steady rise and fall of their breathing.

You feel your mouth tug into a smile.

"Goodnight, Frisk." you whisper.

You rub your eyes tiredly. You aren't going to even bother trying to think things over tonight. There would be no point, you’re completely worn out and you don't have any answers anyways.

You lean yourself against the window and try to get as comfy as possible. 

It only takes a moment before you instantly fall asleep.


	10. Emotional Rollercoaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tee hee...hopefully you like this chapter. I have been looking forward to getting to this part FOREVER!!
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

_You wait for the familiar screen to pop up...._

_But...something's not right._

_It's taking too long._

_WAY too long..._

_After a moment, words appear in a text box on the screen._

**_*_ ** _So you are back again, I see. You certainly spend a lot of time here, don't you? Tell me... Do you know how many times you have reset this world?_ **_*_ **

_..._

_You sit there as you stare at the words before you..._

_Well..._

_This is new._

_You thought you've seen everything in this game...or...at least..._   ** _almost_  ** _everything..._

_You're not sure what to make of this._

_But something about this...is kinda creeping you out._

_The message continues._

**_*_ ** _Enough times for me to find a solution to my_ **_predicament._  ** _You have something that I want. And because of your_ **_determination_  ** _... I am finally able to get it._ **_*_ **

_You frown as you stare at the words before you. This...this is too weird...too creepy.._

_You...you don't like it._

_You feel a chill crawl up your spine._

_**Maybe it's best to just turn in for the night...** _

_You move your hand to reach for the escape button....but you can't._

_Your hand won't move..._

_You look down and gasp._

_There's a black substance oozing from your keyboard, coating the underside of both your hands._

_You pull on them, it stretches slightly but it holds fast._

_You keep trying to pull your hands away._

_After a couple of tugs the ooze pulls back twice as hard, slamming your hands back down on the keyboard._

_You feel panic start to take hold._

_**What is this?! What the heck is happening?!** _

_The substance continues to ooze, and eventually starts creeping over your hands._

_**Oh god…** _

_You quickly stand, knocking your computer chair away. The goo starts dripping to the floor and it seeps closer to your feet._

_You continue to pull on your hands while you try to keep your feet out of the black tar._

_**This isn't happening...this isn't real!!** _

_However, your frantic stepping is in vain and you soon find your feet trapped in the goo as well._

_You struggle but you’re stuck...really..._   ** _really_  ** _stuck._

_**Oh god oh god oh god...** _

_Movement catches your eye and you turn back to the screen._

_New words are typing across it as black tar oozes from the corners of the monitor._

**_*_** _But in order for this to work..._   ** _*_**

_The ooze lunges at you and instantly adheres to your body. The sticky substance stretches across the gap like a piece of soggy bubble gum._

_You feel it start to slowly crawling up your neck._

_**Stop it! No! Please!** _

_You shake your head frantically, trying to somehow knock the offending ooze off._

_It's no use. It just continues to crawl around the edges of your face._

_You notice something brightly glowing in front of you. But as soon as your eyes fall on it, you’re filled with a crushing pain. Like your whole body is being constricted._

_You feel tears form in the corner of your eyes._

_You are terrified._

_There are more words on the screen, but your vision is so blurred with tears you cannot read them._

_You feel a harsh yank and you’re filled with an excruciating pain._

_Like something is trying to pull out your rib cage. The pain grows and spreads through your body._

_There is darkness surrounding your vision._

_And it suddenly feels like your skull is being crushed..._

_The pain is too much, and it only intensifies...._

_You can hold it back no longer._

_You open your mouth to scream..._

Your eyes fly open and you instantly straighten yourself.

The bucket wobbles slightly but quickly settles.

You tremble as you pant heavily, your eyes darting around the dimly lit room.

Dark shadows paint the walls as an eerie glow filters in from outside.

Your breathing slows as realization hits you.

You're at the brothers' house.

You're safe...

As an added reassurance, you look down at your leaves. The light from the window behind you casts them in green and red. You stare at them, but no matter how much you stare they stay the same.

They're just leaves...not hands...leaves...

You take a moment as you sit there and just breathe.

_Breathe in...breathe out..._

It was a dream...just a dream.

You're fine.

It wasn't real.

It-

You raise your gaze slightly as you furrow your brow in thought.

_Wait..._

You stare straight ahead blankly, your eyes not focusing on anything in particular.

You think back to that dream. Once again there's something that bugs you about it.

But this time the dream was clearer, more vivid.

You remember you were in front of a computer. You were loading the game.... _this_  game... 

....

Having a dream like that.  _Now._  it can't be just a coincidence.

No. That wasn't just a dream, was it?

That's....

That's how you got here...that's how you got  _in_  the game...

It had to be!

It was too specific. It felt too real.

Like, it's a distant memory...

You remember.

You were on your computer. Playing "Undertale"...and ...some... _thing_  had pulled you into the game.

But, why? What did it want??

You frown as you turn your gaze back to the foliage in front of you.

_And it still doesn't explain_ **_why_ ** _I'm like this._

You think back to the dream again.

You try to remember anything else. Anything that would give you some clue...some more insight...but....

Nothing.

You can't remember anything else.

You take a deep breath as you rub the inner corners of your tired eyes.

_What..what happened to me?_

You notice something moving out of the corner of your eye. Quickly, you look over and your vision falls on a mess of blankets and pillows. 

They seem to be moving, but after a moment they settle. It's a little hard to see into the darkness, but you notice a mess of black hair sticking out from under them.

You sigh, for a second you thought that you woke them.

You turn back and continue to stare out in front of you.

It's then that you notice your silhouette is being cast on the zig zag carpet.

You stare at it.

It's still weird to think about it.

You're a flower now.

A small, tiny little flower.

Sometimes...you kinda forget that...

As you stare at your shadow, you watch as it sways slightly back and forth and back and forth and-

You freeze.

Because you're not moving...

Confused, you study it for a second. Then you realize that there isn't just  _one_  shadow, there are  _two..._

One is yours...and one belonging to something bigger...and also flower shaped...and.....and who is swaying back and forth... right behind you....

You instantly pale as fear consumes you.

You don't' want to, but...hesitantly...you turn around and look out the window behind you...

…

There's no one there.

All you see is the snowy landscape. The Christmas lights splashing green and red across the pristinely white snow, with no yellow flowers in sight. In bewilderment, you look around outside.

But nothing.

Just snow and trees and Christmas lights.

You breathe a sigh of relief.

You have to be seeing things.

You close your eyes as you rest your forehead against the glass. The cool sensation feels oddly pleasant against your warm brow.

It really had been a long day for you to be seeing things. Huh?

You take a deep breath in....

And a deep breath out.

You open your eyes....

And are greeted by a grotesque face…with a menacing grin.

You nearly jump out of your planter as you instantly push away from the window.

"HOLY SHITAKE-!!!" But you cut your exclamation short when you feel your planter begin to tilt.

By the time you realize your mistake, it's too late to correct it.

The bucket slips off the narrow window sill and topples to the ground, with you in it. 

The bucket hits first, making a loud clattering sound and causing its contents to spill across the carpet...including you.

You slide face first across the floor before coming to a stop.

You groan as you lay there, more out of shock than pain. You think you hear something, but your mind is too jumbled to figure out what it is.

You use your leaves to lift yourself up. Staring at the ground before you, you try to focus your eyes.

That crash really jostled your brai-

-you just remembered why you fell.

Hastily, you glance behind you at the window above. But, once your eyes focus on it, you can see...nothing.

There's no one there.

"...Dandy?"

You turn back around and see a pair of knees in front of you.

_Frisk?_

A small touch on your top petal sends a sharp pain through you. You winch, but it's instantly gone again.

It wasn't crippling pain like the last couple of times, but it was still unpleasant. You lean back on your stem and look up at Frisk's face. They are holding their head again, rubbing it slightly.

"Frisk.." You pant before giving them a sheepish smile. "...we gotta stop doing that."

They return your smile briefly before it falls into a serious frown. It's then that you notice their face seemed wet, but before you can say anything they ask in a small voice.

"It was Flowey..wasn't it"

You’re surprised, to say the least.

"Umm...yeah...but how-" your question is cut off by a booming voice.

"HUMAN?!?"

_Uh oh!_

You quickly flop to the ground and hide your face.

You hear the flick of the light switch quickly followed by the creaking of the stairs.

"HUMAN?!? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!?" Papyrus asks.

The footsteps stop near your body, and you feel like something is hovering over you.

"OH NO!! TINY FLOWER!?! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

Oh boy, how are they gonna explain this one?

_Just...tell them you don't know! He won’t question it!_

Frisk hesitates a moment before they reply in a shaky voice.

"...I...ah...I had a bad dream...and I accidentally knocked th-it over."

You inwardly cringe. For one, the kid seems really shaken up by something. And two, there were sooo many things wrong with that statement. How the heck would they knock you over if you're on a window ledge 5 feet away?!?!

"everything ok in here?" a mellow voice asked.

You hear footsteps as he approaches, but not from the stairwell.

_Where did he come from?!_

"SANS! WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN THE KITCHEN AT THIS HOUR?!?"

You feel your body tense. How long...how long had he been in there?  _Oh god...I was just talking to Frisk a minute ago. OH GOD! DID HE SEE ME?!?!_

"just grabbing a snack." Sans casually replies.

"A SNACK!! NOW!?" You hear Papyrus sigh. "WELL, YOUR LECTURE ON LATE NIGHT SNACKING WILL HAVE TO WAIT! THE HUMAN HAS HAD A NIGHTMARE AND THEY SEEM TO HAVE KNOCKED THE TINY FLOWER OVER."

After a moment, he adds enthusiastically. "BUT WOWIE, HUMAN! YOU MUST HAVE AMAZING JUMPING ABILITIES TO BE ABLE TO REACH THAT FAR!! I AM QUITE IMPRESSED!"

You inwardly sigh with relief.

Thank god Papyrus was never one to question these things.

"NOW, WAIT HERE! I WILL GET SOMETHING TO CLEAN THIS UP!" With that, you hear his footsteps as he walks away.

For a moment it's completely silent except for the clattering of Papyrus rummaging through a place unknown.

Then, you hear a little sniff.

Is that Frisk? Do they have a cold or s-

_Oh...oh no...kid are you crying?_

You feel terrible. They must've jumped right out of their skin when you fell!

.....

You think there is a skeleton joke in there somewhere...but now's not the time!

"hey. you ok, kiddo?" Sans asks, his voice sounding genuinely concerned.

You don't hear them reply, but you figure they must have nodded.

"hey...c'mere." You hear some rustling, and you can only assume that Sans is giving Frisk a hug.

You inwardly ‘aww’ at the th-

_**PPFFFTTTTTTTTTPPPP!!!!!!_

....Well, tender moment ruined!

You bite back a laugh as you hear the kid erupt into a fit of giggles.

"woops! heh heh...must've left one in there."

After a moment, you hear some rustling again and a wet flop on the floor next to you.

_Jeeze Sans, how many woopie cushions do you have??_

"feeling better there, kiddo?"

Once again, the kid must've nodded.

"good." Sans pauses for a moment but then continues.

"dreams can be scary sometimes, huh? but you can always wake up from them, right?"

And again, something about what Sans' says seems...odd...but you think you’re just reading too much into it.

"GOT IT!!" Papyrus shouts in triumph as you hear him quickly approach.

There is a clatter of plastic against plastic as he hurry's over. He stops and you hear a clatter on the ground nearby. There is a momentary shuffling and after a moment you feel something hovering over you.

"ALRIGHT, TINY FLOWER!" Papyrus says. "FIRST, LET’S MOVE YOU OUT OF THE WAY!"

It's only a second before you feel something pinching your stem gently. The hold is soft, cushioned by the mittens Papyrus always wears. He seems surprisingly cautious as he lifts you into the air. You try to remain a bit stiff like a real flower. You feel yourself shift in the air as Papyrus holds you out in front of him.

"HUMAN! WOULD YOU HOLD THEM FOR ME?!" He asks.

You tense.

_Uh oh!_

Frisk can't hold you! You'll hurt them!

You hear a metallic clank and there is a brief pause.

"OH!" Papyrus exclaims. "YOUR HANDS ARE FULL?! ALRIGHT!" You feel relief wash over you as Papyrus shifts you again.

"HERE, SANS!!" Papyrus holds you out in front of him again.

You wait a moment, but he doesn't take you.

"can't bro..." Sans says. "...my hands are full too."

"YOUR HANDS ARE JUST IN YOUR POCKETS!" Papyrus retorts.

"yeah, and they're full of my pockets.."

"YOU CAN TAKE ONE OUT!!!"

"can't. still trying to break that record."

"HOLDING A FLOWER IS NOT GOING TO COUNT AS DOING SOMETHING!!!"

"why not just put it on the ground?"

"BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE I HAVE TO SWEEP!"

"what about over there?"

"BECAUSE I HAVE TO SWEEP OVER THERE TO!"

"hey, is that the new broom that just came out?"

"WHAT NEW BROOM!?!"

"the one that's  _sweeping_  the nation."

"SANS!!!"

You suppress the giggles that threaten to spill out.

_Oh jeeze...that's a good one!_

An exasperated sigh fills the air before a very frustrated Papyrus exclaims.

"FINE! I'll  _MAKE_  YOU HOLD THEM!"

You feel yourself shift around in his hands, now resting in his palm. There is a rustling sound and followed by the zip of a zipper.

After a moment of being moved around, you feel your stem slip into something soft. You slide down until your "neck" rests on something jagged and cold. Which is pretty uncomfortable, but you don't feel like you're choking or anything. Your body is so light you don't feel like you're going to slip down further either. So you just hang there, suspended in a soft and warm endless void. One that smells kinda funny and contains an ever-present buzzing sound, like the hum of electricity.

You're not sure if you like it or hate it.

_Where the heck am I?!_

"NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!! VICTORY FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS!!!" Papyrus announces in delight.

_Yeah...but....what did you-_

"...umm..." the sound escapes from Sans mouth. At the same time, you feel a rumbling sensation against your back.

And then it dawns on you.

Oh god.

You're tucked into Sans' sweatshirt.

_Oh god oh god oh god..._

This was bad. Very... _very_  bad.

Yeah, it's embarrassing to say the least...but there's a bigger problem...

It is also hilarious.

Knowing that Sans has no idea that you're alive....

It makes it incredibly funny.

You are literally  _right_  against him and he  _still_  doesn't know.

 _"Pf-"_  You quickly stifle the sound before more can escape.

Of course...if you blow it  _now_ , there is pretty much  _no way_  he will NOT know.

You push back your giggles as much as you can. You feel yourself trembling slightly from the effort.

You  _really_ hope you're not shaking as much as you think you are.

Sans doesn't move, he doesn't say anything for a moment.

You feel moister collect on your brow.

Oh boy, this is bad.

"well..." Sans finally says. "...way to  _stick_  it to me, bro."

You bite back the laughter that threatens to erupt.

_oh no..._

This just got a whole lot worse.

You knew the onslaught is coming.

And a groan from Papyrus is enough to confirm it.

_oh no oh no oh god not now not nOW NOT NOW NOT NOW!!!_

"but I  _fernly_  believe that was unnecessary." Sans continues, completely unaware of your distress.

You fight to keep the giggles down, but it's getting to be nearly impossible. Between your current situation and Sans adding plant puns to the mix, you're pretty much doomed.

But you keep fighting, even when Frisk starts laughing uncontrollably.

There is the sound of frantic sweeping in the background. You guess that Papyrus is trying to get done as fast as possible.

"you could've just asked nicely..." Sans says, his voice filled with amusement. "...i wouldn't  _leaf_  you hanging."

Frisk laughs even louder now.

You can't help the snort that escapes but you quickly suppress the rest. You feel like you're trembling even more now, but you can't stop it.

Papyrus groans before saying. "SANS...WILL YOU STO-" But is cut off by Sans...who just keeps going.

"and normally i'd just  _shrub_  it off but not in front if our new  _fronds_. i don't want to  _soil_  their opinion of me. i mean... i  _lichen_  the kid a lot and this flower’s starting to really  _grow_  on me."

_"PFFTTTTT!!!!"_

You completely lose it, your mouth slips out and you begin to laugh.

.....

Luckily, Papyrus lets out the biggest  _frustrated_  scream you've ever heard.

Followed closely by Frisk laughing the loudest you've ever heard them laugh.

You hope that it's enough to drown you out. You quickly bite your lip and pop your mouth back in again.

"OH MY GOD, SANS!!" Papyrus yells.

Sans lets out a low chuckle that rumbles through his chest.

It tickles you slightly but, before you can feel much of it, you're hastily grabbed and pulled out of Sans' hoodie.

Then, you find yourself being thrust back into solid earth and your roots covered. As you sit in your planter, you can't help but feel that you’re a little crooked.

"THERE! NOW YOUR INFERNAL PUNNING CAN CEASE AND WE CAN ALL GO BACK TO BED!!" You hear Pap let out an exasperated sigh before you feel someone pick up your planter. You're carried for a moment before they stop.

"HMM..." Papyrus hums in thought before moving once again. "PERHAPS IT'S BEST WE MOVE THE TINY FLOWER HERE FOR NOW."

You feel yourself being set down, but you're not sure where. You don't have the chill on your back, so definitely not by another window.

_Thank God..._

"WILL YOU BE ALRIGHT, HUMAN?" Papyrus asks in concern.  "I MEAN...IF YOU ARE HAVING NIGHTMARES..."

There is a pause.

"ARE YOU SURE?"

Another pause.

"WELL..ALRIGHT...JUST...LET ME KNOW IF YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND...OR REQUIRE MY ASSISTANCE IN ANY WAY. JUST LET ME KNOW AND I WOULD BE HAPPY TO BE OF ASSISTANCE!!"

After a moment you hear footsteps as they head towards the stairs "ONCE AGAIN...GOODNIGHT, HUMAN AND TINY FLOWER!!" You hear the stairs creak as Papyrus ascends them. After a moment, Sans speaks up.

"try to get some sleep. alright, kiddo?"

There is a ruffling sound, and you think that he may be ruffling Frisk's hair. 

Sans chuckles and says "night, kid"

You listen as Sans walks towards the steps, but then he stops. You hear his footsteps approach you.

Oh no, maybe he did hear your laugh after all!

Sans stops in front of you and after a moment he lets out a laugh. "heh..."

You stiffen and you feel something gently wrap around you. There is a little voice in the back of your head. It keeps telling you that you're about to get dunked on.

You tense as you wait for something bad to happen. But instead, you feel yourself straighten in your planter. 

The hand lets go and you feel something pat you're topmost petal.

_...Oh...thanks..._

"night buddy. keep an eye on the kid for me...alright?" With that, Sans heads up the stairs.

The room is dark in an instant. And with one last click of a door being closed, all is silent.

You pop your face out. The first thing you notice is that you’re sitting on the joke book table. The next thing is that, through the soft Christmas colored glow, you can see Frisk sitting up in their bed.

You look at each other for a moment.

Then, a soft bubbling emerges from your center. You hear a very quiet giggle...

Oh, it's you.

 _You're_ giggling.

Your giggle is soon joined by another's, which is even softer than your own.

Oh. It's Frisk.

Hearing their giggle only causes you to giggle more.

And Frisk's giggle rises to match your own.

It doesn't take long for your giggles to escalate to chuckles and eventually full-blown laughter. You fold your arms across your stem as you double over with glee. You're not sure if the boys can hear you but at this point, you can't stop.

You're laughing so hard it's making your side hurt.

After a minute, you're finally able to suppress it back to a snicker.

"Holy Guacamole!" You exclaim breathlessly, a few octaves higher than normal. "That did NOT just happen!"

You suppress the laughter bubbling up again, causing your voice to get higher and higher as you say. "I mean- _haha_ -when he said I was really  _growing_  on him....oh boy.. I thought I was gonna die!!" The laughter finally erupts and you cover your face with your leaves.

You hear Frisk join you, and you have to fight to keep it from escalating again. It only takes a moment before you settle down again.

You wipe the tears out of the corner of your eyes.

"Wow...I..I have no words. That was...oh my god, that was hilarious!" You sigh as you shake your head. "Ahh...well...I don't know how the heck I'm gonna sleep now!"

You turn to Frisk, who is still sitting up on the couch. Through the darkness, you can still see them beaming at you.

"You...you should really try though, kid." You say as you smile back at them. They instantly frown as they shake their head.

You give them a confused look. "No? Come on, kid. You can't stay up. You need your rest."

They don't say anything as they look down at their hands in their lap.

Well, this is strange. Just a couple of minutes ago they were laughing their but off.

And now…

There's something bothering them. You know it.

"Is..umm..something wrong?" You ask in concern.

They didn't say anything for a moment. Then you hear them quietly mutter.

"...bad dream.."

_Oh...they..._

You thought they were lying when they said they had a nightmare.

But, guess not.

Guess that's why you saw Frisk tossing around a bit in their sleep.

And probably why they were crying earlier.

_Poor kid..._

"Hey...umm..." You lower your gaze. Darn! You're not really sure what to do in this situation. You raise your gaze as you give them a hesitant smile. "Do you...do you want to talk about it?"

Frisk doesn't say anything. They just fiddle with their sleeves in their lap.

You frown, maybe that's not the right thing to say.

"You don't have to...it's fine." You tell them, and when they finally look at you…you give them a kind smile. "Just...remember what Sans said. It's just a dream...it's not real...and when it gets too scary...you can always just...wake up from it."

They think for a moment before nodding. A small smile gracing their lips and you feel yours widen.

"Now come on. Why don't you lay down and I'll play a little. Ok?" They nod before quickly laying down and throwing the blanket over them.

You play a little bit, some of the same little tunes as before.

Eventually, the steady rise and fall of the covers signal that they're finally asleep.

You sigh, as you rub your eyes tiredly. Tonight has been a roller coaster of emotions, hasn't it?

There's so much on your mind now, falling asleep is going to be nearly impossible. Especially since you lost your "cozy" corner spot.

But, you really don't want to go back there. In fact, you don't even want to look in that direction.

You're afraid of what you'll see.

Plus it's not like  _he_  can get you in here.

There's no way.

If you can't get through the floor then (chances are) he can't either.

But as soon as you go outside....

...

You're just going to have to be more careful. Hopefully, he won't bug you if you stick close to Frisk.

Cause…jeeze... you have a feeling he did not pop in just to be friends.

What he wanted, however, you're not sure.

But how did Frisk know it was Flowey? Did they see him before he fled? They must've, it was the only logical explanation. But somehow, there's a little voice telling you that's not it.

You sigh and shake your head. How come when one question gets answered...about 12 more take its place?

You glance over at Frisk, who was still sleeping peacefully.

_Well, maybe I should at least_ **_try_  ** _to get some sleep._

So, you cross your leaves in front of you and...well...you can't really lean anywhere so you just kind of...sit there...

And through the rest of the night, you drift in and out of sleep...making sure to never look at the windows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone for all the support! I really appreciate it! We will see you next Sunday!


	11. For Once You're Kinda Bored...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for the support! I am going on a trip up north soon. So some future chapters may be posted on weird days. If you want updates on when I'm going to post next you can visit my tumblr page.
> 
> Enjoy the Chapter!
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

"HUMAN!! PREPARE TO BE IN AWE! FOR YOU ARE ABOUT TO WITNESS A BRILLANT MIND AT WORK!!"

_Great...and I won’t be able to see a thing...again.._

You inwardly sigh, continuing to pretend to be a normal...non-sentient flower.

The morning started out like it had the day before. With Papyrus banging on Sans' door, jolting you awake. 

Well, this time you were already partially awake anyways. 

You never fully fell asleep last night. You were too uncomfortable in your new sleeping position and well...to be honest a little freaked out still.

The two brothers had to work today, and they had reminded the kid that they were still welcome to join them. Of course, the kid accepted and you were dragged along with as well.

It wasn't like you overly minded. In fact, you were happy that you weren't left alone.

But the cold was a bit chilling, and then there was the whole "I can't see anything" problem.

It's really starting to annoy you. All these cool and neat things are happening around you but you aren't even able to see it.

You can't even tell what time it is.

Frisk had eaten lunch a while ago. So you can only guess that it's sometime in the late afternoon.

"NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!! BEHOLD!! MY GREATEST PUZZLE YET!!!" Papyrus announces triumphantly. "I CHALLENGE YOU, HUMAN!! TRY TO SOLVE _THIS_ PUZZLE!!"

You feel yourself shift about as Frisk begins to move. Their movement causes you to sway slightly as they carry your bucket from one point to another. You're not even sure what kind of puzzle this _is_! But you gave up trying to figure them out a long time ago.

This has been going on pretty much all day. Paps would make a new puzzle or change an old one and the kid would try to solve it.

Only a couple of times did the kid get stuck and Papyrus would have to give them a hint. But....they were the kind of hints that pretty much gave away the solution.

Like "try going backwards then left!" or "you need to push something the color of that button!"

Honestly for you, without being able to see, it got kind of boring.

Luckily, Sans would stop by every once in a while. Papyrus would ask how his work was going or yell at him for being lazy.

And Sans would respond accordingly by throwing out several bad jokes, causing you to shake with silent giggles.

But most of the time, it was dull. So you often found yourself drifting off to sleep.

Frisk suddenly stops, and you near them giggle a little bit.

"WOW...YOU'RE REALLY GOOD AT THIS!" Papyrus muses. "BUT!! SO AM I!! I WILL MAKE ANOTHER!! THIS ONE MORE GENIUS THAN THE LAST!!"

You wait for a moment as you hear shuffling. Sitting there, you can feel yourself nodding off again.

The sound of a phone ringing startles you awake.

It continues to ring. You wonder whose phone that is.

"ERR...." Papyrus waits for a moment and then he stutters. "O-ONE MOMENT HUMAN...I...UMM...I NEED TO GET THIS!!"

You hear footsteps as he hastily walks away. You perk up as the weariness instantly vanishes.

Something's…definitely wrong. You can tell that Papyrus is worried for some reason.

Luckily, even when trying to be quiet, Papyrus' voice seems to carry easily.

"...H...HELLO?" Papyrus greets, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"OH! UN-" Papyrus was instantly cut off by the other person on the line, but you can't hear what they're saying. After a second, the tall skeleton speaks again.

"YES I KNOW...I HAVEN'T SUBMITTED MY REPORT RECENTLY..." There's another pause and you feel a sense of dread wash over you.

"...YES..." Papyrus hesitantly answers. "THE HUMAN IS STILL HERE..." Papyrus pauses again before saying. "UMM...NO...I...I HAVEN'T CAPTURED THEM YET...."

This isn't good, this isn't good at all.

Oh no...what if...what if Papyrus...

What if he ends up turning the kid into Undyne!?!

He...no...he wouldn't…right?

After about a second, Papyrus hastily replies with panic evident in his voice.

"NO! NO! I DON'T NEED HELP!! I...I...I-NO! NO! YOU DON'T HAVE TO COME!!! I CAN HANDLE THIS!!! UMM...SORRY!!..I...I HAVE TO GO! I HAVE TO...UMM...CALIBRATE MY PUZZLES!!"

With that, you hear the phone flip close.

"WHEW!" You hear him sigh.

Relief instantly washes over you.

For a second there, you thought...

But you should know better. It's PAPYRUS!!! He would never turn the kid in, not when they're friends!

After a moment, you hear his footsteps approach again.

"...UMM...ALRIGHT HUMAN!" Papyrus tries to say happily, but you can hear the nervousness behind his voice. "ONE MORE PUZZLE. THAT'S WHAT I PROMISED YOU, RIGHT?...UMM..THEN...THEN WE WILL HEAD HOME! WAIT...WAIT RIGHT THERE! I WILL...I WILL FINISH IT!"

You listen as Papyrus walks off and begins to fiddle with something unknown.

You can't help but wonder. What if Undyne decides she doesn't want to wait anymore? She definitely isn't the patient type.

What will happen to the kid? Or Papyrus? Or…

.....

You don't know.

You don't know what's going to happen next.

This…this isn't good...

.....

You need to talk to Frisk...

You need to talk to them _now_!

Hesitantly, you pop your mouth out.

" _Psst!_ Kid." You whisper as quietly as possible. After a moment, you hear a soft little tap on your bucket. That must mean that they heard you. You quietly tell them "I need to talk to you."

"ALRIGHT!" At the sound of Paps voice, you quickly hide your mouth once more. "NOW JUST A LITTLE BIT...HMM? HUMAN?? IS SOMETHING WRONG??"

"...umm...no....but..." After a moment, you feel Frisk begin to move. "...I'll....I'll be right back."

"OH! WELL...OK...." You can hear Papyrus voice call after them. "I'LL…JUST BE HERE!! FINISHING THIS PUZZLE!!"

You listen as Frisk footsteps quicken. After a moment, they stop.

You wait a second before popping out your mouth once more. 

"Is it safe?" You ask quietly.

"...yeah.." They replay softly.

You instantly pop the rest of your face out and rub it vigorously. After the feeling comes back into it, you look up into Frisk's face. You notice the large tree behind them and figure that the two of you are well hidden.

The kid looks a bit disheartened, and you know that they must be thinking the same thing you are.

"Ok..you...you heard him talking right?" You whisper to them. Despite being hidden, you still feel a bit nervous about talking with Papyrus nearby.

Frisk frowns, but nods.

You sigh.

This was going to be tough.

"Good. Look, kid. We...we REALLY need to think about leaving soon."

At this, you notice the kid's face frown even more.

"I know you don't want to. I don't either...but...you're not safe here. You know that person Paps was talking to? That was Undyne! Head of the Royal Guard! And it sounds like she's getting impatient."

You look Frisk dead in the eye, trying your best to get your message across. The kid is beginning to look upset, their mouth pressing into a thin line and their eyes starting to mist over, but you have to continue.

Swallowing the lump in your throat, you say. "If she shows up...and finds out that Paps has been hiding us..." You pause for a moment before correcting yourself. "Well, hiding _you_....he's gonna be in _a lot_ of trouble."

You watch as Frisk lower's their gaze, contemplating your words. You can see water bead in the corner of their eyes. You feel so bad. You think you might be pushing them to much, but they need to understand.

You sigh as you lower your voice more.

"We _need_ to leave...and the longer we stay here...."

_....the more things are gonna change....and I won’t know what to do..._

You decide not to finish that thought out loud, because you don't think the kid will understand.

Frisk doesn't say anything but they slowly nod. You watch as the kid wipes their eyes with their sleeves and raises their gaze to meet yours again. You give them an apologetic smile, before quietly saying. "I'm sorry kid. I don't like being the burden of bad news....but don't worry. I'm sure we'll see those two _bone_ heads again, ok?"

Frisk gives you a small smile before they nod slightly.

Your smile widens. "Ok, let's head back before Papyrus decides to come looking for us." The kid nods again. And with that, you hide your face once more.

You feel yourself shift in your container as Frisk hurries back to Papyrus.

"THERE YOU ARE HUMAN! READY FOR YOUR LAST PUZZLE!?" Papyrus asks, but no answer comes.

After a moment, Papyrus asks in concern.

"HUMAN...ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

This, you knew this was gonna break your heart...and you brace yourself for it.

In a small voice, you hear Frisk replay "...I.....I need to go...."

"WHAT?! BUT...I MEAN...." Papyrus' voice drops a little bit. "DO YOU REALLY HAVE TO?!"

_Come on, please don't beg. I don't think my heart can take it..._

After a moment, Papyrus sighs.

"I...I UNDERSTAND....." Papyrus says disappointingly, and then his voice perks up a bit as he says. "BUT IT'S GETTING....IT'S RATHER LATE....WOULD YOU...AT LEAST STAY ONE MORE NIGHT???"

There is a pause, and then you hear the most hopeful sound come out of the skeleton's mouth. "PLEASE??"

_Awwwwww Paps!! Why do you have to be so sweet!!_

There is no possible way anyone can say no to _that!_ No way! And you know that the kid won't be able to either.

After a moment, Papyrus instantly perks up.

"WONDERFUL!! LET US FIND SANS AND HEAD HOME!!" You feel the kid release one hand from your bucket before they start moving. You think that they must've taken Papyrus's hand as they seem to walk a bit awkwardly. After a moment, they shift slightly and gesture to something behind them.

"OH, THE PUZZLE??" Papyrus asks.

After a moment, Paps says. "WELL..UMM....THE GREAT PAPYRUS...HAS DEEMED THIS PUZZLE NOT UP TO STANDARDS!...YES!! I CANNOT SHOW YOU THIS PUZZLE UNTIL IT HAS IMPROVED BY 100000000% !!!"

After a moment, he hastily adds.

"DEFINITLEY NOT BECAUSE I AM WORRIED UNDYNE WILL SHOW UP! DEFINITLEY NOT!"

With this, you feel the pace pick up a little bit as Paps pulls you and Frisk along.

"BUT IT'S PROBABLY BEST THAT WE HURRAY HOME ANYWAYS!! JUST IN CASE!!!"

 -------

The warm blast of air instantly welcomes you as Frisk steps into the brother's home.

The walk back to the house was uneventful. Not one unwelcomed incident had occurred.

But you're a bit worried now. It isn't like the kid was any safer from Undyne in here than outside. And it seemed that someone else had that same mentality as well.

"ABSOLUTLEY NOT, SANS!!" Papyrus yells.

"c'mon bro. it's just to grillby's. the kid would love it."

"I AM NOT ALLOWING YOU TO TAKE THE HUMAN TO THAT GREASE PIT!! ESPECIALLY NOT WITH... _YOU KNOW WHO_ OUT THERE!"

 _....Voldemort???_ You inwardly snicker at your own joke.

"look, the kid's probably hungry-"

"I CAN MAKE SPAGHETTI!!" Papyrus suddenly retorts, but Sans merely continues like he didn't hear anything.

"-and don't you think this is gonna be the first place undyne is gonna look?"

There is a long, long pause…followed by the most horribly whaling you've heard in your life.

"OH NO!! SANS!! I HAVE BETRYAED THE HUMAN!!! I HAVE LED THEM AND THEIR TINY FLOWER TO THEIR DOOM!!! THEY TRUSTED ME AND NOW THEY ARE GOING TO BE TURNED INTO SPRINKLES AND POTPOURRI AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT!!!"

 "...papyrus no-"

"PAPYRUS YES!!!"

You snicker a bit to yourself. Papyrus can be so overly dramatic sometimes.

You hear Sans sigh before trying to calm his, now hysteric, brother down.

"bro, it's fine. why don't we just hang out at grillby's for a while? that's the last place undyne is gonna look, right?"

Papyrus suddenly stops and shouts happily. "YES!!! SANS!! THAT'S AN EXCELLENT IDEA!!"

You feel excitement grow in you. For once today, it's not going to matter that you can't see anything. It's a bar and grill! There will be SOOO many conversations to listen in on. Not to mention Sans is sure to be a riot. _This is going to be great!_   

"WHAT DO YOU THINK, HUMAN?!"

You feel the kid nod excitedly before they start hurrying towards the door. But something stops them in their tracks.

"wow. hold on there, kiddo." Sans pauses for a moment before he says. "ya better leave the flower here."

 _AWWWWwww!!!_ You inwardly moan in disappointment.

Apparently, the kid must've had a similar reaction. Sans lets out a chuckle, then says in an apologetic tone. "sorry, but grillby is kinda a _hothead_ when it comes to dirt. i don't think he'll appreciate brining in a bucket full of it."

You feel yourself shift as someone else takes your planter. Your heart sinks. This isn't fair! This was your only opportunity today where you could've had some fun!

"OH! I KNOW HUMAN!" You feel someone take your planter again and begin to walk.

"LET'S SET THE TINY FLOWER HERE!!" You feel yourself land on a hard surface, and after a little adjustment you settle in place. "THAT WAY THE TINY FLOWER CAN WATCH IN CASE UNDYNE SHOWS UP!!"

_Wait...Papyrus....where did you..._

You feel a cold chill on your face, and you’re overcome with a sense of dread.

_...oh.._

You're on the window sill....

"NOW, COME HUMAN!!!" Papyrus announces as he hurries out the door. "THE GREASE TRAP AWATES!!"

Panic begins to fill you as you hear more feet shuffle towards the door.

_...oh no..._ _no..no Paps not here!!_

_FRISK!! PLEASE MOVE ME!!! FR-_

But your thought is cut off when you hear the front door close.

Everything is silent. You’re too afraid to move.

A few minutes pass by...and then a few more.

It's then that you realize that nothing is happening....

Hesitantly, you pop your face out.

You're looking out the window, but you don't see anyone. Not Undyne. Not Flowey. Not a single soul...

Still feeling a little uneasy, you turn away from the window.

The remaining daylight streams in from outside, just enough to barley illuminate the dark room.

As time ticks by, you feel yourself relax a little. And after about 15 minutes, you aren't even scared anymore.

Huh, you're not really sure what to do with yourself now. Part of you wants to play some more leaf kazoo but another part is already slowly drifting to sleep.

Eventually, you just curl up against the corner of the window and close your eyes. 

.....

.....

....

_******_

You groan as you begin to stir from your nap.

Cracking an eye open, it looks like not much has changed. Maybe a little darker?

But you don't feel well rested at all, did something wake you up?

_Are they home al-_

You hear a sound echo through the house.

Immediately you sit up, the cloud of sleep vanishing quickly.

_What was that?_

You sit and listen intently.

......

......

Nothing...

_Well, that's weird..._

You begin to relax but then you hear it again.

It's a tapping sound.

Like someone tapping on glass.

Is there someone at one of the windows? You're about to look up when you stop.

You better not move. It could be Undyne. Maybe she is out there looking through one of them. You wait for a moment, breathing steadily.

After a few seconds, you hear it again. It's coming from a window but...it sounds like it's from the one right behind you.

You don't want to look, but after a moment...you hear another... _louder_ tap.

It's then that you realize why they're tapping.

They're trying to get your attention...

They know you’re alive...

So, curiously...you slowly turn around.

You are met with a smiling face, surrounded by petals.

And although their voice is muffled by the glass, you hear them greet you warmly.

"Howdy!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say...I love cliff hangers! (I know...I'm terrible :3 )


	12. The Root of The Problem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Bad Time Ahead
> 
> * For related Comics, Illustrations, and Chapter Updates  
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
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> 

The flower smiles pleasantly at you.

The last bit of daylight is just enough for you to make out his features. The Christmas lights surround his form in a colorful glow. You stare at him as an uneasy feeling washes over you. This is the moment you've been dreading. You're face to face with the most fear inducing creature in the game. The one you always end up facing at the end of every single playthrough.

At least...the ones you've finished.

He's a manipulator, a selfish being, and a soulless killer.

And yet, you don't feel as nearly as terrified as you thought you would be. You're definitely creeped out and a bit unsettled.

But terrified? No...not yet anyways.

The logical part of your brain seems to be kicking into high gear. It keeps telling you that you're safe. That he doesn't have the souls. He's stuck _outside_ and you're _inside_. And he can't get you in here.

As you continue to stare, you notice your own reflection in the window pane. And only now are you finally able to see the differences between the two of you.

First thing you notice is that his petals are a golden yellow. Bright and vibrant compared to your pale ones. And although his overall structure is bigger, your petals are fuller than his. Sitting in your bucket, you are a quiet a bit taller than him. However, you think that if you were on even ground, he would be about your size. Maybe even a little bigger. His facial structure is wider, his eyes more pronounced. Glancing at his stem you notice that you were mistaken before. He actually doesn't have any leaves to speak of.

But one main thing strikes you as odd..at least more so than the rest of it. Flowey seems to have six petals, but you only have five.

_Huh....that's weird..._

It's then that you notice his smile getting wider, and you realize you've just been staring at him.

You...should really say something, shouldn't you?

"Umm..." You pause second as you think of what to say. Then, you hesitantly greet him "...hhiii."

His smile widens even more, causing his eyes to squint.

"Golly!" He exclaims in an enthusiastic tone. "Another talking flower! I thought I was the only one!"

He giggles happily. To most people, he probably just seems like a cute, friendly flower. But you know better. This is all an act. He's just trying to lower your guard. The unease in your stomach stays firmly in place.

He gives a wink before introducing himself. "I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower! What's your name?"

You hesitate. You're still not sure what he's up to. Is he actually trying to get on your good side? Or is he just luring you into a false sense of security? Either way, you decide it's best to just play along. You paste a fake smile on your face, hoping it doesn't betray your discomfort.

"I'm...I'm Dandy." You say, trying to keep your voice calm and steady.

"Dandy, huh?" For a second, it looks like he is pondering something. But then he cocks his head to the side and says. "So, I got a little question for ya Dandy."

His eyes narrow, and his cheerful smile turns into something much more devious.

"Just what do you think you’re doing?"

The sudden hostility on his voice throws you off a bit. You feel your stomach drop a little.

You don't really know what he is asking.

"Umm...what do you...I don't...."

But Flowey interrupts you before you can form a coherent sentence.

"You don't understand?" He mocks before he lets out an amused little laugh. Flowey's expression darkens as he smiles wickedly at you. "Well, let me _elaborate_. I've been watching Frisk for a LONG time. Watching them struggle through fight after fight...barely surviving. Just waiting for them to finally get so frustrated they start _killing_ the others. I thought that with that blind mutt they were finally going to snap!"

His smile twists itself into a grimace as he glares up at you.

"But then _you_ show up! _You!_ A tiny flower just like me...and you start helping them! Helping them battle! Helping them dodge attacks! Helping them spare everyone! So...I'll ask again."

You feel yourself grow pale as he twists his face into the most sinister scowl you've ever seen.

"Just what do you think you're doing!?" Flowey growls.

Panic begins to rise, but you keep a level head.

He's outside.

He can't hurt you...remember?

_Just stay calm, you'll be fine._

You fiddle absentmindedly with your leaves as you try to come up with an answer. Why are you doing this? Well, you have a lot of reasons. But you need to be careful what you tell him. You don't want him to know too much.

What was it you told Frisk when you met them? You wanted to help? That seems like a good enough answer.

"Umm..." You keep your eyes on your twiddling leaves as you fumble over your words. "well...I just-...I'm just trying to help..."

"Why?" Flowey asks in an agitated tone.  "What do you have to gain by helping them?"

You feel like you’re being interrogated.

Being _judged_.

You don't like it. It makes you feel even more nervous and uneasy. You feel yourself shrink down under his gaze as you try to stutter out a response.

"I..I...just...I don't-..I mean.."

But your tongue gets tied. Eventually, your mind just goes blank. You can't think of what to say.

An uncomfortable silence falls over the two of you.

You finally turn your gaze to Flowey, and you notice he's still glaring daggers at you.

And just like that.

You stop fiddling with your leaves.

It's strange, but seeing his intense stare doesn't make you more uneasy. Actually, it just makes you irritated. You don't feel afraid anymore, just annoyed and frustrated.

Why is he bothering you?!

Why can't he just go away?!

With this new mindset, you straighten up. Glaring defiantly down at the little pest, you say in an irritated tone. "I don't need to tell you."

Flowey's menacing scowl is replaced by a look of surprise.

You glare down at him as you continue, your voice smooth and even.

"The reasons are mine and mine alone. And I refuse to be bullied into telling them by a stupid weed like you."

An awkward silence fills the room.

Neither of you speak. You just glare down at him as he stares at you in disbelief. Inside, you are quite surprised yourself.

_Did...did I just say that??_

Why...yes...yes you did.

You continue to glare as Flowey still looks shocked.

Then, you hear a sound. And it gets louder after each passing second. After a moment, you notice Flowey smiling, his whole form shaking.

It's then that you realize....he's giggling.

Flowey is giggling like a little school girl. The giggle grows and grows and soon it doesn't sound like a happy little giggle anymore, but a spine chilling cackle.

Your stern expression instantly falls as you stare at him in bewilderment.

"Hahaha! I knew it!" Flowey cackles. "I just knew it!"

You stare blankly at him, utterly confused.

_Did....did I miss something??_

"Knew...knew what?" You hesitantly ask. Flowey's laughter subsides and he shakes his head, causing his petals to ruffle around his face.

"Hehe! Wow..." Flowey looks up at you with an amused grin. "You still haven't figured it out, have you?"

You feel your face scrunch into a pout. He's irritating you again.

"Figured what out?!" You ask impatiently.

Flowey smileys slyly as he asks. "You use to be a person, right?"

Your face falls and you feel the fear start to creep back into you.

_Oh no..._

You're about to retort but he instantly interrupts you.

"Don't try to deny it. Flowers don't just suddenly get a mind of their own."

You don't say anything, you just frown at him.

"But..." Flowey adverts his gaze as he asks. "Haven't you noticed that something seems..off? That something doesn't feel right?"

His gaze falls back to you, and he gives you a wicked smile.

"That something is _missing?_ "

You freeze.

Your eyes widen in shock.

And you feel a chill crawl up your spine.

That's....

That feeling you've been having. The one that you couldn't explain. 

You remember.

You tried to figure it out the first night you were here, but you couldn't. You just couldn't figure out what it was trying to tell you.

But that's it!

That's what you've been feeling.

Flowey's grin widens as he beams up at you.

"Oh! You know exactly what I'm talking about, don't you?" He gives you a playful wink. "I can tell. That look on your face says it all."

Flowey's smile turns devious, and his eyes narrow. "It's the same look I had when I realized it to."

You feel a lump grow in your throat...

You are getting a bad feeling. A _very_ bad feeling...

You don't want to know...but...you have to....

"R-realized...what?" you ask hesitantly.

His face darkens, and twists into a sickly pleasant look.

And with a voice that squealed like nails on a chalk board, he says...

 ** _"T h a t   y o u   d o n ' t   h a v e   a   s o u l_** **_!!"_**

You cringe at the sound of his voice.

But then his words sink in.

...

You feel the color drain from your face.

_I....I don't...._

Could it really be?

You knew that something was wrong...but.... _this?!_

...

Your mind races back over the last few days.

They were filled with fun, laughter, fear...and concern....

....

No.

You refuse to believe it.

You shake your head as you try to ride yourself of those thoughts.

"No... No! You're wrong!" You shout at Flowey, who just gives you an amused look.

"Oh, really?"

You glare at him. "Yes really! I do have a soul! I can still feel! I've been afraid and happy and sad!!"

Flowey seems unfazed, he just smirks at you. "But not always. I bet you don't always enjoy the things you use to."

You feel your mind begin to recall things.

Things until now, you didn't really think much of.

_**In the beginning, Frisk was navigating through the brother's obstacles.**_

_**But, despite hearing their banter...you don't remember ever laughing at it....** _

 "You don't feel concern for others when you normally should."

_**You heard Toriel crying in the Ruins, but you don't remember feeling any sympathy.**_

_**Or any concern for Frisks safety as they were battling other monsters...** _

 "I bet sometimes you simply don't feel anything at all?"

 _**You woke up in the Ruins, and**_ _**as you gazed at the chasm above you....** _

_**You remember...that you felt nothing...** _

"Even now, you're not as afraid as you should be. Am I right?"

You feel your stomach sink.

You know he's right.

Just a little while ago you told him he was a stupid weed and felt no fear at all!

You stare at Flowey, in a mix of disbelief and utter horror.

He continues to smile at you. "Ya know. The mind can be a funny thing. After living with a soul for so long, your mind can play tricks on you. It can make you think that something’s still there...when really it isn't. But it's never perfect. It's no replacement for a _real_ soul. It can never imitate love. And eventually, even it forgets what it's like to feel."

This...this can't be right....

You _know_ you've felt things!!

They had to be real! They just had to!

But...how do you know?

How do you know what you've been feeling is fake or real??

What if everything you've been feeling has been a lie!? That it’s just been your mind telling you that you _should_ feel this way!?

That you should be completely horrified at the thought of not having a soul!?

You grip the sides of your head with your leaves.

_How do I know!?!?_

You squeeze your eyes shut and start to curl in on yourself.

In distress, you begin to mutter frantically. "No...no no no no no no no no nonononono-"

_I have a soul!!! I have to have a soul!!! I don't want to be soulless!! I don't want to be like-_

"Golly! You seem so upset." You hear Flowey tease in his mock sweet voice. "I know! How about you let your good friend Flowey make it all go away."

Your eyes instantly fly open. You see something crawling over the wall of your bucket. Tiny white and spindly things. Forking and webbing out from each other. It takes you only a second to recognize them. They're roots, but they aren't yours.

The fear you were missing before suddenly comes rushing back to you.

You aren't safe anymore...

Frantically, you yank your roots loose one by one as Flowey's creep closer and closer to you. You feel one brush your leaf and you hastily slap it away. With one last yank, you feel your last root free itself.

You jump from your bucket, but you feel something snag on one of your roots. The abrupt stop prevents you from jumping any farther. You instantly fall and collide with your metal container. The bucket wobbles and falls of the edge of the sill. You start to fall as well, but your root is still caught on something. So, while bucket falls to the ground with a clatter, you remain suspended in midair....dangling upside down.

 _Why always upside down!!_ Your mind screams.

You feel something grab onto another root, and you instantly look up at them. Your stomach drops. Flowey's roots have a tight grip on two of your own, and even more of them hover above you. One by one, they quickly begin to latch onto you. It's not a pleasant feeling. It feels like a bunch of snakes coiling around your limbs. You struggle and try to push them away, but his roots are much stronger than yours. 

"L-let go!" You yell.

A couple roots wrap around your flailing leaves and one large root wraps around your stem.

You suddenly feel yourself being lifted, and in a moment you are right side up again. Now, you hang helplessly in front of the window and you see what caused your demise. You knew that window was a bit drafty, but you never realized that there was a small gap in the bottom of it. Flowey had squeezed his roots underneath it, and you were too distracted to notice.

"Hehehehe!" He laughs maniacally. "You really are an _idiot!_ Aren't cha?"

You glare down at Flowey.

And you do the first thing that comes to mind.

Gathering a wad in your mouth, you rear back your head and spit right in his face. The wad flies and hits the window, but you’re surprised when you hear a loud _crack_. You watch as something white bounces off the window and leaves behind a small...but noticeable chip in the glass. Flowey seems quite surprised as well as he stares at the glass in front of him.

You...

You just spat out a friendliness pellet, didn't you?

Knowing it's your only chance at survival. You rear back and fire again. You fire more and more, watching the chip get bigger and bigger. One finally breaks through the glass, but it get stuck part way. Flowey glare sat you and quickly wraps a root around your neck. You spit out the last pellet, but without being able to move your head it just falls to the floor.

Dammit! You were so close!

You only have one last thing to try. You take a deep breath.

You close your eyes and scream.

 _"FFFRRIIISSSKKK!!!"_ You take a quick breath before yelling again.  _"FRISK!! SANS!!! PAP!!! HELP PL-!!"_

You're cut off by the root tightening around your neck. Your eyes fly open in shock before wrenching themselves shut again. You try to gasp for breath, but the root is getting tighter and tighter.

"You really think that they can hear you?!" Flowey cackles. You feel the other roots tighten as well.

_Please....anyone....I don't want to die...._

You continue to gasp for air.

You're going to die.

Oh god, you're gonna die.

You really didn't want to find out if you can reset....but....

Guess you'll finally know....

That's a plus, right?

You feel tears trickle down your face as you fight to breath.

But things are starting to get dizzy.

_Please...._

_...._

_...anyone?_

_..._

_...help..._

A loud banging sound echoes through the house. Your mind is too fuzzy to really comprehend what that was.

There's a frantic scuffling of sound before you feel something grab around your middle. There is a small pain and it seems like it's hurting you. But it's hard to tell as you struggle to remain conscious. There's a sensation of being pulled from behind, but Flowey's roots hold you firmly in place. The pain in your body escalates as Flowey struggles to hang onto you.

You hear Flowey growl in frustration. _**"L E T   G O !!"**_

But they don't let go. And you suddenly hear other voices.

"kid! what are ya-"

"HUMAN WHY DID-"

There is pause, followed by a shout of surprise.

"F-FLOWEY?!?"

You feel his roots quickly release and you are flung backwards. Whatever is holding onto you lets go and you tumble across the carpet. When you come to a halt, you cough and gasp desperately for air. Your whole body aches as you lay face first on the floor. You feel weak, but you manage to push yourself up with your leaves. You cough and wheeze as you raise a leaf to your neck. You rub it sorely, coughing and trying to take in as much air as possible. You open your eyes and stare at the ground before you, the dizziness slowly starting to fade.

"Dandy?" A voice calls to you. 

You cough one last time before looking over your shoulder. Behind you, Frisk is kneeling on the floor and giving you a worried look.

There are voices in the background, but you pay them no mind. You're still trying to comprehend what just happened, but it doesn't take long for you to figure it out...

They saved you...

Frisk just saved your life...

.....

..good god...he almost...you could've...

You feel tears bead up in the corner of your eyes and you suddenly realize that you’re trembling.

You’re overwhelmed with feelings of fear and relief.

You still don't know if these feelings are real or not, but right now...you don't really care.

"F-frisk?" You say in a shaky voice.

Hastily, the kid pulls their hands into their sleeves. They reach out to you, and they gently scoop you into their arms.

They bring you to them and hold you against their chest. You can help but sob as you cling to their sweater.

Tears fall uncontrollable as you burry your face in their torso. 

_Thank you...thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou..._

As you continue to cry, you can hear the brothers talking to each other.

"papyrus..."

"YES, SANS?"

"that flower you've been talking to..."

"Y-YES?"

"...don't talk to him anymore."

Papyrus makes a sound, like he's about to say something.

But he must've decided against it because he doesn't say a word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See...it all turned out ok!...kinda!  
> (I debated leaving another cliff hanger...but I thought that would be just too cruel)


	13. A Long Night...Pt 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Here ya go!!
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

You take a few deep, ragged breaths.

You're not sure how long you've been crying, but you're finally starting to calm down.

You loosen your grip on the fabric of Frisk's sweater.

You feel exhausted.

Your whole body aches.

And now that you're not overcome with emotional trauma, you can't help but feel a bit embarrassed as well.

As you pull away from Frisk slightly, you notice there's a huge damp spot on their sweater.

You feel a little bit ashamed at the sight of it.

Jeeze, you just balled your eyes out like a little baby...didn't you?

Then again, near death experiences are enough to justify it, huh?

You close your eyes.

 _Just...just breathe...you're ok now...you're safe..._   

You take a few more deep breaths, and they become more and more steady with each passing second. 

After one last exhale, you feel like you’re finally at ease. Completely releasing your grip on Frisk’s sweater, you hastily wipe the remainder of your tears away.

Then, you peer up into Frisk’s face.

They are watching you, looking rather concerned. 

You give them a small smile and say in a quiet voice.

"Thanks, kid."

Frisk gives you a kind smile in return. You lower your gaze. There's something on your mind, and you contemplate if it would be a stupid thing to ask. But you feel the need for some reassurance, some sort of confirmation that you are indeed safe.

"This is probably a dumb question...but..." You mumble quietly.

You look back up at Frisk, who is patiently waiting for you to continue.

You smile at them sheepishly.

"Flowey's...he's gone right?"

Frisk gives you a reassuring smile before nodding.

You breathe a sigh of relief as you lower your gaze again.

"Good..." you mummer.

A loud metallic clunk causes you to jump. You instantly latch onto Frisk's sweater again as you huddle closer to them.

There's a brief pause before a voice speaks up.

"OH! I UMM..." It says.

_Oh..._

You instantly recognize the voice, and you feel a bit embarrassed by your reaction.

Guess you’re still a bit jumpy, huh?

You slowly relax as you push yourself away from Frisk. You can't see much in your current position. So, you shift around a bit until you're able to peak over Frisk's arms. First, your eyes land on your metal bucket, resting on the ground next to Frisk. Then, you notice the tall skeleton kneeling behind it, his gloved hands resting on the sides of the pail. On his face he is wearing a hesitant expression, a look that really didn't suit him. His eyes are fixated on the ground next to him. For once, he seems a bit lost for words. His gaze turns back to the bucket as he pushes it a bit closer.

"..H-HERE."

As it slides across the carpet, you notice the bucket seems to have a weight to it. You lift yourself a little higher and peer over the metal edge.

"Oh..." You say, a bit surprised.

It looks like while you were busy crying your eyes out, Papyrus had swept up the dirt for you.

You look up at Papyrus, who finally meets your gaze. You give him a shy little smile and in a quiet voice you say. "Thank you."

At this, his face instantly lights up and he beams back at you. 

_There...that expression looks much better on him._

You look up at Frisk and they turn their gaze back to you.

"Kid, could you...?" You motion your head towards the bucket.

Frisk nods in understanding and adjusts you in their grip. Cautiously, they place you into your planter. It only takes a moment for you to dig your roots into the soil. As soon as they're in, Frisk releases you. The soil between your roots feels nice, but you can’t help but notice everything suddenly feels chilly.

You let out an involuntary shiver as you wrap your leaves around you.

Guess you had gotten a bit used to being wrapped up in a big, plush sweater. That and it's quite possible you're experiencing some sort of shock.

Some sort of weird...flower shock.

You try to ignore it as you look up at Frisk and smile in a silent 'thank you'. 

But they don't smile back. Instead, they look like they're pondering something. After a second, they get to their feet and hurry into the kitchen.

In surprise, you call to them. "H-hey, kid! What are you-"

But before you can finish, they disappear around the corner. You let out a little sigh, completely clueless as to what the kid was doing.

You feel like someone is peering over you, and you hastily spin around. Your vision falls on a large white chest plate, decorated in a few fake medals. Slowly, you raise your head. Soon, you're craning your neck and peering into a rather large skull.

_Oh, that's right...Papyrus..._

Sitting right next to him, it finally dawns on you just how  _big_ Papyrus is.

And how very _small_ you are.

_....wow._

You notice there's a slight stinging sensation coming from your neck. But you choose to ignore it as you stare into the face above you.

Papyrus gives you a worried look.

"ARE…ARE YOU ALRIGHT, TINY FLOWER?" He asks you, in a voice surprisingly quiet for the loud skeleton. "YOU'RE ALL...SHIVERY. AND YOU HAVE ALL THOSE MARKS ON YOU."

_Marks?_

At this, you look down at yourself. You can see dark green marks where Flowey's roots were squeezing you. A couple of them have a faint gleam to them. His roots must've cut into your flesh a little. The stinging in your neck probably meant that you had a pretty bad mark there as well. Overall, your body hurt a little bit, but it was tolerable. Looking back up at Papyrus, you give him a reassuring smile.

"Y-yeah I'm fine. Just...still a little sore..." Papyrus beams back at you and leans back so he isn’t looming over you anymore. Holding a gloved hand up, he exclaims.

"NEED NOT TO WORRY! YOU ARE NOW IN THE CARE OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS!!!"

You feel a warming sensation in your chest and your smile widens slightly.

_He's so sweet._

_**"...your mind can play tricks on you."** _

Flowey's words creep back into your mind.

Your smile falters slightly.

But before you can dwell on this thought any longer, you hear the rapid approaching of tiny feet behind you.

You turn slightly and watch as Frisk kneels down on the other side of the bucket. It looks like they have a band-aid in one hand and a folded piece of fabric in the other. Setting the fabric down, they unwrap the band-aid. Internally, you thank whoever told this child where the fresh bandages were. Very cautiously, Frisk wraps the band-aid around the wound on your neck. You keep completely still until they're finished. As the band-aid sticks to your flesh, you can't help but feel instantly better. The stinging sensation in your neck subsiding quickly, and the pain from your other wounds slowly begin to disappear.

After Frisk is satisfied with their work, they pull away and pick up the piece of fabric off the ground. You watch with curiosity as the kid unfolds it and shakes it gently. You notice the cloth is rather small, and as you look at it you realize that it's actually a fluffy dish towel. Carefully, they drape the towel around your stem. You grab the edges of the plush fabric and pull it tightly around you, being cautious not to touch Frisk's fingers by accident.

You hum pleasantly, you feel much better now that you’re all wrapped up and cozy.

You look up at Frisk and give them a small smile.

"Thanks, kid."

They beam back at you.

You go to turn back to Papyrus, but halfway you stop as something catches your eye.

Sans is standing next to the window. He's bent over slightly with his hands in his pockets. Inspecting something white stuck in the gl-

_Oh...._

That's right.

Your bullet...pellet....thing...

You totally broke their window, didn't you?

"Oh umm..." You begin hesitantly. You notice the two beside you shift their gaze, but Sans keeps his eyes fixed on the small pellet.

You're guessing he probably didn't know you were talking to him yet. You gulp down a lump in your throat as you continue, a bit louder. "Sorry..about the window..."

At this, Sans looks over at you. 

Instantly, you shrink under his gaze.

For some reason, you can't help but feel uneasy as he stares at you.

Probably because this is your first time actually seeing him.

And despite seeing his avatar in the game countless times, something about his gaze and ever-present smile…

It's currently giving you an unnerving feeling.

You glance away for just a second as you pull the towel around you tighter. In a small voice, you mutter "That was...umm.."

Turning back to him, you finish with a strained grin. "..that was me." 

Silence.

Sans continues to stare at you, and you can feel your smile shift into an uneasy grimace. After a moment, he finally just shrugs casually and says.

"eh, forgeddaboudit. we have a pretty good relationship with our window guy."

 _I would hope so..._ You can't help but think in amusement, remembering all the times you've seen Papyrus jump through Undyne’s window.

You absentmindedly fiddle with the edges of the towel as you lower your gaze. You still can't help but feel a bit bad.

"Still, I don't mean to be a pane. I just-" You instantly freeze, the whole room goes dead silent.

You don't move, you just stare blankly ahead of you in shock.

Did you just…?

Oh god...

You did.

You try to suppress the giggle that bubbles up, but this time...you fail miserably.

" _Pfffttt!!_ " the sound escapes your lips before you can stop it. You hastily pull the towel to your mouth as you giggle into it. You hear Frisk snicker to themselves and Papyrus lets out a little groan followed by a mutter of "oh no."

You feel so embarrassed!

You just punned!

Unintentionally punned!!

In front of Sans!! SANS!!

The master of puns!!

_Oh god, what if he thinks it was stupid?_

You shrink down a bit as you look up at the shorter skeleton. You can't help but think that his smile might've gotten even wider.

"Sorry..." You say, removing the towel from your mouth. You smile shyly as you continue. "That just...kinda slipped out." You let out a nervous laugh as you give an apologetic smile.

Sans smile doesn't falter, but something about it seems a little sly.

"well, i thought it was _sill_ pretty good." He says, giving you a wink.

You're a bit shocked at first. And when you finally process what he just said, you can't help but giggle in delight.

_Oh wow._

_I just got a compliment for a pun...from Sans...with a pun..._

Frisk giggles beside you and Papyrus groans a little louder this time.

At this, Sans turns to his brother and shrugs.

"what? you'd have to be _blinds_ not to see this coming."

You laugh a bit more as Frisk joins you. You glance over at Papyrus, who has a gloved hand over his face and is shaking his head, but underneath it... you can see a bit of a smile.

_He secretly enjoys Sans puns, doesn't he?_

Sans just continues, seeming to enjoy the reactions he's getting.

"and you can be _curtain_ there's more where that came from."

Papyrus lets out a huge groan before shouting at his brother.

"SANS! STOP YOUR PUNNING AT ONCE! YOU'VE ALREADY CORRUPTED THE TINY FLOWER ENOUGH!!"

You laugh a bit harder at this, and you hastily try to stifle it. You have a feeling you're encouraging the puns with your laughter, and you feel that Papyrus has had enough for today. You cover your mouth as you try to calm your giggles. 

Sans turns back to you, and something about his expression seems more...relaxed.

You don't feel quite as uneasy about it.

His brow bone arches slightly as if he were raising an eyebrow. How he's able to do this...you have no idea.

"so...you've been alive this whole time, huh?" He asks.

You lower the towel from your mouth and say. "Y-yeah. I'm sorry I didn't say anything. I...well..."

You look away as you begin to nervously fiddle with the towel again. At this point, you're not really sure what else to say.

"NOT TO WORRY TINY FLOWER!" Papyrus says reassuringly. "YOU MUST'VE HAD YOUR REASONS."

"Actually...umm..." You trail off as an internal struggle erupts within you.

How much should you exactly tell them?

Do you reveal that you use to be human?

That you were pulled into a videogame and transformed into a flower?

You want to.

You want to _so_ bad.

Maybe they could help you.

Maybe with their help, you could finally get back to normal.

.....

But...

No...

If they knew, it would only complicate things....

And you've already changed the timeline enough already.

_The less they know, the better._

You look over to Papyrus and smile at him kindly.

"Actually, my name is Dandy." You smile wider as you quickly add. "But you can call me ‘Tiny Flower’...if you want."

Papyrus grins at you.

Sans wanders over to you, but he doesn't sit down. He just stands slightly behind his brother.

"so, what brings you to snowdin? and crashing at our place?" Sans asks casually.

With a smile, you reply. "I'm helping the kid get out of here."

"no kiddin?" Sans asks, and you just give a little nod as a reply.

"WOWIE!!" Papyrus exclaims. "THAT IS VERY BRAVE OF YOU!!"

At this, you feel your cheeks heat up a little. You lower your gaze as you try to hide your blush. That is if you are actually blushing...still not sure.

"Nah. I'm really not that brave. I just..." You look back up at the boys and give them a small smile. "I want to help."

"NONESENSE, TINY FLOWEY!!" Papyrus shouts. "YOU ARE INDEED BRAVE!! YOU ARE FACING MANY DANGEROUS CHALLENGES!!"

Part of you wonders if Papyrus realizes HE was one of those challenges.

"and an overgrown weed." Sans adds in a low voice.

You can't help but let out a little laugh at his comment.

"Yeah. You guys came back right on time."

Sans gesture's his head to Papyrus as he says. "my bro here couldn't take grilby's anymore. so we had to cut our visit a little short."

"THEN, AS WE WERE APPROACHING THE HOUSE! THE HUMAN SUDDENLY TOOK OFF!"

"should've gotten a little better look at the window though...." Sans mutters.

Well, that explains how Frisk knew you were in trouble. They probably saw Flowey by the window...or maybe they heard you calling them.

You hear a little sound from behind you, after a second you realize that it's a yawn.

"OH!! ARE YOU TIRED, HUMAN?!" Papyrus asks. You look behind you and see the kid rubbing their eyes and nodding.

"IT IS RATHER LATE! PERHAPS IT’S BEST WE TURN IN FOR THE NIGHT!" Papyrus suggests with a smile.

Something drops in the pit of your core.

_Sleep?!_

The thought of spending the night next to the window again makes you feel sick. What if he comes back?! What if he actually gets inside this time?!?! He proved that he could sneak his roots under the window...what if he actually can _open_ it?!

You turn to Frisk and give them an uneasy look. They must've had a similar thought, cause they are looking a bit nervous as well. You turn back to Papyrus and try to think of something to say. But before you get any words out, he notices your expression and his smile instantly falls.

"WHAT’S WRONG?!" He asks, sounding concerned and a bit confused. You lower your gaze as you begin to play with the towel again. You know what you want to ask, but you’re not exactly sure how. You look back up at Papyrus. You watch as Sans leans over and whispers to his brother. "i think they both are a little scared of sleeping."

"OH..." Papyrus says plainly. You watch as he puts a hand to his mouth in thought. After a moment, he perks up.

With a huge smile on his face, he exclaims. "NOT TO WORRY, HUMAN AND TINY FLOWER!! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL LET YOU SLEEP HIS ROOM TONIGHT!!!!"

Sans smile widens. "great idea, bro."

Looking very proud of himself, Papyrus announces. "OF COURSE IT IS! ALL MY IDEAS ARE VERY GREAT!!"

Putting his hands on his hips, he lets out a booming laugh. "NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!"

You can't help but laugh a little bit as well. His laugh really is contagious. 

You're a bit surprised when Papyrus grabs the edges of your bucket and hoists you into the air. As he begins to walk towards the steps, you can't help but feel a little wobbly and unstable. 

His strides being a little different than Frisk's, you aren't quite use to them.

"COME HUMAN!!" Papyrus calls behind him. "TO THE GREAT PAPYRUS' ROOM!!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, If you follow me on tumblr you will know this. But I said that, because of the delay, I was going to do either one BIG chapter or two normal sized chapters. This chapter got SOOO big that I decided to split it. The other chapter will be posted by WED night.


	14. A Long Night...Pt 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So guess what! I did it again!! I made the chapter too long and I'm going to have to split it...again!! BUT that's a good thing! Cause that means I'm going to have another chapter for you. This time, it will be posted Sunday. :D
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

Papyrus begins to carry you upstairs, you can hear footsteps as Frisk and Sans follow closely behind. You sway awkwardly with each step the tall skeleton takes. It's funny how different his steps are compared to Frisk's. Papyrus had steps that are jostling, and his movements are more abrupt. Frisk steps were less so, a little bit more careful and calm. But, they still had a little bounce to them when the kid was excited.

As Papyrus reaches the top step, you hear a flick of a switch and the house goes dark.

It takes your eyes a moment to adjust to the blackness. But by the time that they do, Papyrus is already flipping on his bedroom light.

You squint a little at the sudden brightness, but quickly recover. You survey the room for a moment and can't help but smirk. Yesterday, when you were in here, you couldn't see what it looked like. But now looking around, you note that it's exactly what you remember from your playthroughs. From the pirate flag on the wall to the flame patterns in the rug.

The tall skeleton steps aside to let Frisk in, who zooms past eagerly.

You smile at the kid, guess they’re a bit excited.

They plop down in the center of the carpet and begin to take off their shoes. As they do, Papyrus brings you over to a corner of his room. You're a bit surprised, because it's the corner of the room with his bed in it.

"HERE YOU ARE, TINY FLOWER! YOU AND THE HUMAN CAN SLEEP HERE TONIGHT!!"

_Wait...what?_

He's giving you his bed??

You turn around in your planter to look up at Papyrus.

_He's kidding, right?_

But as he sets you down in the top most corner of it, you know he isn't.

"O-Oh! No, I couldn't!" You protest as he begins to wedge you between the bedframe and a pillow. "You and the kid can have the bed! I'm just a flower after all. I can just...sleep on the table or something!"

Having secured you in place, Papyrus straightens up.

"NONSENSE!!" He states in a scolding manner. "YOU'RE OUR GUEST!! I WILL NOT TOLERATE YOU SLEEPING ON THE TABLE!!"

You're about to retort, but stop and just sigh in defeat.

You don't have the heart to remind him that you've been sleeping on wooded surfaces for the past two nights. 

In the end, it would just make him feel bad.

You notice the kid standing up from the ground before briefly surveying the bed. After a second, they tug on one of Paps' gloved hands.

He looks down at them curiously.

"HMM? WHAT IS IT HUMAN?!?"

"...I think we can all fit." Frisk says in a small voice.

Papyrus ponders this as he looks at the bed. "HMM...." A moment later, he smiles. "YOU KNOW...I BET YOU'RE RIGHT!! IT IS JUST A BIG PUZZLE AFTER ALL!!"

Papyrus and Frisk begin to shuffle the blankets and pillows around the bed. Sometimes, they grab you and move you around as well. Once they think they find a solution, they stop and try it. The sight of the three of you trying to all fit into a race car bed must've been pretty hilarious. Because once in a while, you'll hear Sans chuckling as he watches from the doorway. 

After a little tweaking you all manage to fit in the bed, though you had to insist that you'd be fine at the end of the bed for it to work. You're now sandwiched in the far corner of the bed next to the wall. Frisk is curled up on your side of the bed, their feet tucked under the covers just inches away from you. Papyrus is squished on the other side, his knees bent so he can fit all the way. He looks pretty snug, but you have a feeling he's use to it. After all, the bed seems way too short for him in the first place.

You pull the towel around you tightly as you lean up against the nearby wall. Papyrus wiggles himself further into bed before shouting in satisfaction.

"THERE!!! A PERFECT SOLUTION! NO PUZZLE IS TO CHALLENGING FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS!!"

Papyrus lets out a gleeful laugh, and you can't help but giggle a little.

You hear a chuckle from the doorway and turn to see Sans pushing himself off the door frame. He looks down at the three of you as he reaches for the light switch.

"well...good night you th-" But before he can finish, Papyrus interrupts.

"SANS!!" Papyrus whines. "WHAT ABOUT MY BEDTIME STORY?!?"

Sans instantly stops. He stares at the three of you, his eyes jumping from face to face. His expression seems a bit surprised, his grin looks more strained. And you think that his face might be turning a little...blue? 

His smile turns into more of a grimace as he gives his brother an unamused look. "really, bro?"

You look back at Papyrus and see a little pout on his face. You can't help but internally _'aww'_ at this before switching back to Sans.

Sans' smile widens as he shakes his head.

"heh, alright alright." Your eyes follow Sans as he walks over to the book shelf. He looks it over for a moment before turning to Papyrus and asking "which one do you want tonight?"

Papyrus seems to contemplate this for a second, before coming to a conclusion. "OH!" He turns to Frisk and says. "HUMAN! WHY DON'T YOU AND THE TINY FLOWER PICK ONE."

You and Frisk look at each other. Frisk has excitement in their eyes, and your smile widens.

"Anything's fine with me kid." You tell them. "You pick it."

Frisk struggles a little, but manages to sit up. They look at the shelf and begin to contemplate their choice. After a minute, they point to a book on the shelf. Sans puts his hand on it and looks back to Frisk, making sure he got the right one. Frisk nods excitedly.

"OH! THAT'S A GOOD ONE!!" Papyrus immediately exclaims. Though, you have a feeling that was going to be his reaction no matter _what_  book they picked.

Sans pulls the book off the shelf. "nice choice, kiddo." 

You watch as he walks over to the side of the bed, grabbing the computer chair and dragging it with him. Sans slides the chair next to the head of the bed and plops into it.

Frisk snuggles under the blanket as Sans begins to read the story. 

You cuddle yourself in your towel as you listen to the words, a content smile tugging at the corners of your lips.

As Sans reads on you can tell that it's definitely a children's story, which you don't mind at all. Children's stories were simple but charming. You glance over at Papyrus, who is beaming up at his brother with endearment.

Your small smile spreads into a huge grin as you feel a warm sensation spread through you.

But your smile instantly falls as Flowey's words pop into your head again.

_**"It can make you think that somethings still there....when really it isn't."** _

You lower your gaze, Sans words becoming muffled by your own raging thoughts. You can't help but question the warm feeling inside you.

It's there...but is it real? Or is your mind making it up? 

You notice that the warmth is fading, disappearing as it starts to be replaced by a creeping sense of dread. You try to focus on it, trying to bring it back. But it just slips away. 

You frown as you try to think of a way to bring it back.

You look back up at the three before you. Frisk lets out a tired yawn. A small hand slips out from under the blanket and rubs an eye tiredly. The warmth comes back a bit. This time, you focus on it before it can slip away again. 

You feel it. It's there....

...

But, it feels...foggy. 

And just like that, the feeling is gone again. You sigh in disappointment as you turn away from the sight, staring blankly at the bedspread in front of you. 

Was Flowey right? Do you really not have a soul?

You think back on the last few days, and you can't help but recall more times that didn't seem quite right.

How calm you were while traveling the Ruins.

How you had trouble staying positive while waiting for Frisk to fight Paps.

How emotionless you had been while playing in the snow.

But at the same time...

You had so many fun times and laughs with the skeleton brothers.

You felt bad for Frisk and had consoled them when they were crying.

Heck, you were even just crying your eyes out yourself just a little while ago.

Is all that...just in your mind?

That everything that you've gone through, everything that you felt had been completely  _fake_.

You're having trouble believing it.

But it doesn't explain the other things that have happened.

Why don't you always feel emotions when you should?

Maybe you do have a soul but...maybe there's something wrong with it?

Turning into a flower could've...messed it up or something...

...

Right?

"hey..."

You snap out of your thoughts and look at Sans. He's staring at you, his expression hard to read. The storybook is closed and is now resting in his lap. You briefly glance over at Frisk and Papyrus, who appear to be fast asleep. You quickly turn back to Sans, who after a moment, raises a brow in question.

"still can't sleep?" he asks quietly.

You turn away from him, and under your breath you mumble "Y-yeah."

You can feel his gaze on you, it's a little nerve racking.

He might be contemplating something, you're not really sure. After a second, he stands up.

"welp."

Your gaze follows him as he sets the book down on the table and quietly slides the chair away. He moves in the direction of the door, and for a second you think that he's going to leave. However, Sans doesn't leave. Instead he heads for you. You're a bit surprised as he bends over and grasps the sides of your container. 

"can't have ya waking them up."

He picks you up and begins to carry you out of the room. "come on."

You sway in your container as Sans adjusts you in his grip. He holds you with one hand as he turns off the light and shuts the door behind him.

You fiddle with the blanket in your grip. You can't help but feel a bit uneasy. Despite being around him the past two days, you've never been left alone with him before. You know Sans is aware of the timelines, and that he knows a lot more than what he lets on. Right now, you can't help but think...

If this is actually  **your** game...with  **your** playthroughs...and all  **your** resets....

What would Sans do...if he found out what you've done?

You instantly try to get rid of this thought.

_Don't think about it...he doesn't know..._

You look up at him, and as casually as possible you ask "Where are we going?"

Sans shrugs.

"eh, nowhere special." 

He begins to carry you down the hall. You sway with each step he takes, but only slightly. His steps are steady and calm, pretty much the exact opposite of his brother. You don't feel disorientated or wobbly as he continues to stroll. Which is good, cause you are already feeling a bit sick from anxiety. It doesn't take long for you to realize where you're going, and it's confirmed when he stops outside a plain wooden door.

You gulp nervously.

His room.

_Calm down...he doesn't know..._

_...._

_....right?_

Sans opens the door and steps inside.


	15. A Long Night...Pt 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is...the final part of "A Long Night" and seeing it made 3 chapters...yeah it's been LONG!
> 
> Also, made a picture for the end of the chapter. (Check out my deviant art page for it! Also I am going to post the chapter tonight but I will be re reading it tomorrow for any grammer mistakes)
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://www.sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://www.sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)
> 
>  
> 
> (omg I just learned how to use html codes to make links :P )

Your nausea only intensifies as Sans closes the door behind you. But it isn't just out of nerves anymore. You quickly pull the towel over your non-existent nose as you're face reflectively scrunches.

Sans room smells _terrible_.

Like a mix between a sweaty locker room and a musty old attic.

_Yuck!_

You glance around the room, still keeping the towel close to your face.

The room is dark, the only light source coming from the Christmas lights that hung outside the window. It doesn't take your eyes long to adjust to the darkness, although you're not sure if you'll ever get use to the smell. The more your eyes scan over the area, the more familiar things become. The room is exactly how you remembered it, right down to the junk tornado in the corner.

Sans carries you over to his mattress. You watch in curiosity as he extends his leg and nudges the greasy ball of blankets onto the floor. You blanch a little when the ball makes a squishing noise as it hits the ground.

Sans doesn't seem to notice. He just bends over and sets you in the center of the mattress.

As you sink a little into the worn out mattress, you stare at it for a second in disbelief.

_Wait..._

You remove your towel from your nose, noticing the smell didn't seem as potent as it was before.

You spin around in your container and stare up at the skeleton looking down at you.

_Ok, he **has** to be joking...._

You sit and wait for the punch line...it's got to be a joke. Like,  _"haha I put you on the bed just like my brother did but I'm well aware how silly this is"_ kind of joke.

Instead, Sans shrugs casually and continues to grin like usual.

"might not be as comfy as my bros bed, but it beats nothing."

With that, he turns away and crouches in front of the greasy ball of fabric. You watch him, dumbfounded, as he begins to untangle the sheets.

_Ok...guess he isn't joking..._

_Seriously though?! What's with these skeletons?!?_

"Wha-? I mean, you don't have to!" You argue as he continues to pull the sheets apart. "You can just...put me on the dresser or on the floor or something."

He stops for a moment and gives you a look. For a second, it makes your stomach drop and you're a bit worried that you said something wrong.

"you kidding?" Sans asks, his voice holding a playful note to it. "if my bro finds out i made a house guest sleep on the _floor_...i'd never hear the end of it."

He turns back to the ball of sheets and continues to separate them.

You relax a little at his words as you lower your gaze. The image of Papyrus scolding his brother about good host etiquette pops into your head, and you can't help but let out a little laugh. "Hehe. Yeah, I guess."

The room falls into awkward silence, the only sound is the rustling of fabric as Sans continues his work. You're a bit surprised that he's actually putting some effort into it, but you're a bit too apprehensive to call him out on it. You're not quite sure how he would react. He could find it funny, but he could be offended by it. You're just not sure. Heck, you're not even sure how you’d be able to tell. You're use to people who show more of a reaction to the things you say, to the things you _do._ Either they smile or they frown.

Sans though, he's always smiling. Always joking around. How much of that is real? And how much of it is just a show?

You inwardly sigh to yourself.

_Sans is just so hard to read...._

The silence is feeling more and more strained. You try to think of something to say, but nothing comes to mind. As you continue to stare at the mattress, you notice movement and you look up. Sans is on his feet, a sheet in his hands. It looks like he had managed to extract the sheet from the tangled mess. 

He holds it out in front of him and shakes out the fabric. The lightweight fabric seems unusually heavy, and you can't help looking disgustingly at it.

Before you can hide your expression, Sans looks over at you.

"what?" he asks, causing you to immediately stammer out. "N-nothing! Just..." You glance at the sheet again, trying to choose your words carefully. "Are you...are you _really_ going to sleep on that?"

In the back of your mind, you inwardly curse at your choice of words.

_Well, that didn't sound criticizing at all!_

Sans looks at the sheet, then back at you questionably.

"what's wrong with them?"

You bite your lip as you fiddle with the edges of your towel.

"It's just..." You pause for a moment as you try to think of the best way to say it. "Maybe you should find something...less gr-..." You instantly cut yourself short and try to think of a better way to put it.

Sans however, didn't give you the opportunity.

"...gr-what?" he asks, his smile quirking upwards a bit. "green? great?"

You let out a small breathless laugh before smiling up at him shyly. "I was actually going to say gross."

Sans smile widens a bit as he shrugs and says "eh, too lazy to."

With that, he lays the sheet out on the ground next to the mattress.

"Of course you are." You mutter with a smirk.

You watch as he lowers himself to the ground and lays flat on his back. The mattress is thick enough to obscure him slightly, but only so half of his shoulder is no longer visible. He then reaches for the pillow on the ground nearby and shoves it behind his head. 

You frown a little. _He's really gonna sleep on the ground?_ It didn't seem right, so you try to insist again.

"But, really....you should take the bed."

You watch as he props a knee up and rests the other leg on top of it. He breathes a content sigh and closes his eyes.

"nope, not happening." he plainly states.

_Wow, he's really being stubborn._

"Seriously? I mean, look at me!"

He opens one eye to look at you. You smirk as you make a gesture to your confines

"I'm in a _bucket_." You stress, noticing his smile tugging a bit wider. "It’s not like it’s any comfier."

You shake your head as your smile widens. "Besides, I think as a flower...anywhere is-." 

An abrupt creaking sound causes you to jump, and your grip instantly tightens on your blanket. Your stomach drops and your head snaps to the window. You wait for a moment, anticipating the worst.

But nothing happens.

Nobody's there. 

You let out a breath you didn't know you've been holding, and you loosen your grip on the towel slightly.

Turning away from the window, your gaze falls once again to the mattress before you. Under your breath, you mumble. "It's not like I'm gonna get much sleep anyways."

You stare at the plush surface, still trying to reassure yourself that the noise was nothing.

_It's cold outside. Wold creaks when it's cold. It’s not unheard of. It happens...it's n-_

"hey..." Your thoughts are interrupted. You look up at Sans, whose no longer laying on the ground. Instead, he's sitting up slightly, leaning back on his elbows for support. His smile is not quite as wide, the pinpricks of his eyes seeming a bit dim.

"you ok?" He asks, seeming concern. You try to give him a reassuring smile, but you think it might look a little strained.

"Yeah, just...I guess I'm just a little rattled." You let out a nervous laugh as you lower your gaze again. After a moment, Sans speaks up again. "what did that little weed want with you anyways?"

You feel a lump form in your throat as you tighten your hold on the towel around you. There's a feeling of dread creeping in the back of your mind, but you try to push it away. _It's just a question, he doesn't know....just don't say anything stupid._ You sigh as you briefly think back to the encounter with Flowey. Going over it in your mind, you realize he never said _why_ he didn't like you helping them. Just, that they wanted Frisk to start hurting people. But as to why? Well...

"I...I don't know." You finally say, your gaze fixated on a red stain on the mattress....probably ketchup. "Flowey really didn't say much. Just...just that he doesn't like that I'm helping Frisk."

"frisk?" Sans asks and you instantly realize your mistake.

_Oh no...no one's supposed to know their name yet._

You feel your insides twist, but try to sound as calm as possible. You raise your gaze and see Sans giving you a funny look.

"Umm..yeah." You say as you smile at him. "That's the human’s name."

There's silence for a moment, and you feel your insides twist even more.

"huh..." he finally says, looking away thoughtfully. "never really thought to ask."

You relax a little. He didn't seem concerned by this. 

Then, he turns back to you.

"so, are you still going to?"

"To what?" You ask in confusion.

"help the kid...umm..frisk."

You blink at him, before you reply.

"Well...yeah." You pause for a moment, trying to think of what to say next. Then, you continue. "I mean, they have no idea what they're doing down here. One wrong move and it's all over. I can't just...just _leave_ them. I..." You glance away for a moment, before turning back to Sans with a small smile.

"I want to help."

Something about that phrase fills you with a sense of pride.

You realize that it's the same thing you've told Frisk, Flowey, Papyrus and now Sans.

Though it's not the only thing that motivates you, it's really starting to feel like it's the most important.

Sans lets out a little chuckle as his smile widens.

"you're kinda attached to that kid. aren't ya?"

You shrug meekly and reply. "What can I say? They're a good kid."

"heheh. yeah." Sans turns away from you and lays back down on the sheet.  "they’re really shy at times...but the kid seems to have a kind soul."

Your smile slowly slips off your face as Flowey's voice creeps from the back of your mind.

 **_"- y o u   d o n ' t   h a v e   a   s o u l_ ** _**!!"**_

_Soul...._

You look down at the towel as you begin to fiddle with it aimlessly.

Sure, what Flowey said has been bugging you.

But...jeeze.

Should you really say anything?

What if he figures out that you're really a human? That you might be the reason for all the resets? What if he actually _remembers_  the resets!? That wouldn't end well, but...the nagging feeling in the back of your mind won’t subside.

It worries you, and you need to tell someone! After all, maybe Sans could help? Maybe he would know something that would make you feel better?

An explanation.

A solution...

Something!

Heck, just talking to someone about it would be enough!!

Steeling yourself, you make your decision. Before you lose your nerve, you look up to the skeleton. His eyes are closed, the smile still plastered on his face. You wonder if he may have fallen asleep already.

In a small voice, you call to him. "Hey, Sans?"

You wait a moment, part of you hoping that he doesn't reply. But, that part of you is used to disappointment.

"that's my name." He plainly replies. 

You pause for a moment, trying to find the best way to start. "ummm...can I ask you something?"

"shoot."

You hesitate for just a moment, but then you push yourself forward.

"Do you think...do you think that someone can still be a good person...even without a soul?"

He doesn't say anything, he doesn't even move. Feeling a bit bold, you decide to elaborate.

"I know you can't feel love without a soul....but like...do you think you can still feel compassion and mercy and happiness ....even if you don't have one?"

You lower your gaze, Flowey's words still echoing in your head. "Or does your mind just trick you into thinking that you feel these things...but it's not really there."

You don't want to look at Sans, but you feel his gaze on you. You know if you look, you would instantly try to back pedal your way out of this. There's a long pause, but it might only seem that way because you feel like you’re going to throw up. When Sans finally replies, he sounds unsure.

"that's a...that's a pretty heavy question. and i should know..i’m a skele- _ton_."

The comment makes the corner of your mouth twitch, but you’re really not in much of a laughing mood right now.

"It's just, Flowey said..that we were both the same."

"well...you're both very petal-y" Sans states.

"Yeah there's that...but he..." How do you explain this? The anxiety you feel is starting to get out of hand. Your sentences no longer want to form properly, but you fight to try to clarify yourself.  "....well...he said-...I mean...he could be lying, but sometimes...I don't know...I just-I mean...I..."

"hey...buddy.." You look up at Sans, who appears to have propped himself up on his elbows again. He's looking at you. His eyes feel like they’re burning a hole through you.

You feel your face heat up in embarrassment and you quickly look away. You feel so stupid. You're making a fool out of yourself.

_I bet I look ridiculous..._

"I..I'm sorry...I-" But you're instantly cut off.

"don't be sorry..." Surprised, you look up. It's then that you notice that his smile looks a bit more reassuring than usual. "just..take your time." He says in calm voice, and as his smile widens he adds. "i've got all night."

Somehow, it seems to relax you. You realize that he's not looking at you like he's judging you, or criticizing you.

Just...concerned.

You take a deep breath.

_Breathe in...breathe out._

You can do this.

"Ok, let me...let me start over."

You take a moment as you organize your thoughts.

Then, you begin to explain.

"Flowey...he's not normal. He's not like other monsters. He does have magic and he has a mind of his own...but..."

You hesitate for a moment before adverting your gaze and saying "..he doesn't have a soul."

Sans doesn't say anything. And you're inwardly scolding yourself, cause for all you know...he already knew this.

"how?" The simple word startles you, and you look up. Sans is staring at you, his brow furrowed in confusion. You're a little puzzled at first, until Sans continues.

"how is he alive without a soul?"

_Oh..._

Guess he doesn't know.

You sigh before you continue your explanation.

"Flowey is a mix of memories and determination. He lives because he's _determined_ to live. But because he doesn't have a soul...he can't _feel_ emotions...."

Sans continues to stare at you, his expression hard to read. You look away, feeling your anxiety beginning to rise again. "And..." You turn to Sans, smiling wearily. "..then there's me."

His expression doesn't change, but it still makes you uneasy. Your gaze lowers as you continue. "I don't really know how I was...how I came to be...but..." You feel your wearily smile slip off your face.

"I mean, I know I feel things. I care about people. I'm happy and sad and scared, but...sometimes...I feel like something's not right with me..."

You tug the towel around you tighter. You push on, but your voice is starting to waver and your throat begins to tighten.

"What if...what if I don't have a soul either? What if my mind is just...fabricating emotions for me, and eventually...."

You shrink down, cuddling yourself in your towel. You feel your eyes begin to water, but you don't think you have it in you to cry anymore. After a moment, you continue...you're voice barley above a whisper. "What if it decides that I don't need to feel anymore?"

There, you did it. But now you can't help but feel a sense of dread wash over you. Neither of you say a word as you both just sit in silence. Every fiber of your stem is beginning to regret your decision.

You don't want to look at him.

You don't want to see his expression.

So, you just continue to stare at the mattress.

After what seems like hours, something finally happens. You hear Sans get up off the ground, but you refuse to look at him. You cringe slightly. You're starting to think that you might be in trouble.

Then, you feel it.

The mattress sinks next to you. You hesitantly glance over to see what's happening. You're quiet surprised when you see Sans sitting next to you. One leg tucked underneath him and the other propped up. He casually leans against the wall behind you before he wraps an arm around your bucket. Though you can't feel it, his arm around your bucket is oddly reassuring. Like an arm draped over your shoulder. You feel yourself relax, you're anxiety fading away.

_Guess I'm not getting dunked on today..._

You look into Sans face, who gives you a comforting smile.

"sorry, buddy... but i don't have the answers for you. souls aren't exactly my expertise. and unless you have a powerful soul, like a human...there really is no way to know for sure."

You turn away from him. Part of you really wants to tell him you use to be human. But before you even have a chance to decide, he continues.

"but let me tell you a story."

You give him a curious look, and he just smiles down at you. He turns away as he begins his tale.

"so, i'm sentry in snowdin forest right? i stand out there, looking for humans. it's kinda boring."

You try not to pull a face at his words.

You've heard this story before, and you're not sure how it relates to you anyways.

"then, one day...a human actually shows up."

You perk up a bit.

_Oh, this is different._

"and they're running around, solving puzzles...this kid and my brother are just having a blast. anyways, the kid runs off to run to the next puzzle. so i decide to meet them up ahead. i'm taking a short cut, and in the middle of the forest i hear this weird noise. stops me right in my tracks, never heard it before in my life. so, i decide to check it out. i follow the sound and what do i find?"

Sans gives you a sideways glance, his smile seemingly growing wider.

"a flower, growing out of the snow of all places."

You freeze.

_No...._

"and the sound was coming from that tiny flower."

You stare at him in disbelief.

_...no way..._

Sans shrugs then looks back ahead. "at first, i thought that it was some new type of magic flower that could play music. but then i realize it's not just playing music, but _dancing_ to it too."

You feel your face heat up.

_Oh boy..._

"in the middle of the woods, by itself. no one there to watch or interrupt...just playing away and having the time of their life. and after a few minutes, it suddenly disappears...like it was never there to begin with."

Sans pauses before closing his eyes in thought.

"now, if someone told me i was just seeing things...i'd probably believe 'em." He lets out a chuckle and gives you a sideways glance. "heh. maybe i just had a really bad bottle of ketchup." He adverts his gaze before continuing. "but if someone came up to me and told me that flower didn't have a _soul?_ well..."

Sans looks down at you, his smile seemingly softer somehow.

"i guess i would have a hard time believing that."

His words sink into you, and you feel you're center warm up slightly.

Sure, it's not exactly the answer you're looking for.

You feel your eyes water again slightly as you give Sans a grateful smile.

But, somehow...it helps.

.....

.....

Then. you think back on his story.

"Wait…" You mutter to yourself, then everything sinks in. "YOU KNEW?!?" You shout in surprise.

Sans chuckles and gives you a sly smile.

"well if i didn't know then...the giggling flower in my sweatshirt would've been a dead giveaway"

You give him a look of disbelief.

"Why didn't you say anything?!?!"

Sans smile quirked a little. "well, I didn't really mind...just kinda tickled."

You pout a little as you exclaim. "You know what I mean!"

Sans shrugs casually. "eh, i thought about it, but decided just to see what happens."

You give him a suspicious look before mumbling. "You were just too lazy, weren't you?"

His smile widens. "yup."

You sigh as you look away in embarrassment. "Well, now I just feel stupid." you mumble quietly.

"don't sweat it, pretty sure papyrus got quite the surprise, and he already knew flowers could talk."

"Heh...yeah."

"besides, it was fun watching you try not to blow your cover."

You turn back to Sans and state proudly. "Hey, I thought I was doing pretty good!"

Sans raises an eyebrow as he replies. "you realize you shake a lot when you’re trying not to laugh, right?"

Feigning offense, you shout "What?! No I don't!"

Sans chuckles. "trust me....you do."

"Humph!!" You pout as you turn away in a stuck up manner. "Well it's not my fault that I just happened to be trying to hide in a house full of _bone_ heads."

You pause for a second...

Oh no...

Yoh hope that wasn't an insult.

You look at Sans and you're about to apologize but he cuts you off.

"why didn't you just _leaf_ then??" He gives you a pointed look.

Your stomach drops for a second. But the smile on Sans face widens...and you realize...

Oh...that was a pun.

Quick, think of another one!

_Ummm...oh!_

"Oh! Don't get me wrong!" You say with a cheesy grin. You pause for a second as you try to remember what your pun was.

"I umm...I _lichen_ you guys a lot! You two are just too _humerus_ for my own good"

_Ha! Nailed it!_

Sans chuckles and instantly replies.

"Really? Well _tibia_ honest you're _lily_ funny too."

_Damn! He's fast!_

"Thanks...umm...I..." You try to think of something,but nothing comes to mind. You've never been really good at coming up with puns on the spot. With a sheepish smile, you surrender. "...n-nevermind, I got nothing left."

Sans chuckles, then asks you with a raised eyebrow.

"say, were you the one that told the kid the snowman joke?"

Feeling a blush spread on your cheeks, you look away. "Yeah."

You watch as the grin on Sans' face grows even wider, his eyes narrowing slyly. "funny, kid said you were shy...but i didn't know you were literally a _wallflower_."

_...oh..._

_...oh...._

_Oh my god!_

You try to suppress the eruption of laughter.

_"Pffftttt!!"_

But it's no use, you burst out laughing. You secretly wonder how long Sans has been holding that one in? Or did he just make that up on the spot right now? Either way, that was hilarious! A sudden shouting causes you to stop momentarily.

"SANS!! STOP MAKING THE TINY FLOWEY LAUGH AT YOU'RE TERRIBLE PUNS!! THE HUMAN NEEDS TO SLEEP!!

You pull the towel over your mouth to help stifle the rest of the laughter. But with the effort you feel yourself begin to tremble. A little nudge grabs you're attention and you look up at the skeleton next to you. He's smiling slyly down at you

"heh. see, i told you." He teases as he point out you're trembling form. It's then, that it hits you.

_Oh! Oh jeeze!_

You just thought of the best pun ever, one that even San's hasn't said yet.

_This is gonna be so good!_

You try to not laugh prematurely as you lower the towel from your mouth. You look up at Sans, trembling with pent up laughter. And you give him a huge, Cheshire cat grin.

"I know, I guess you could say...I'm.." Your smile widens even more, your voice getting a bit higher as you say "...shaking like a _leaf!!_ "

Sans stares at you for a second, seeming to process what you just said. Then he erupts in one of the biggest fits of laughter you've ever seen, and it doesn't take long before you join him as well.

In the background, Papyrus continues to yell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *stands up and walks off to bed.


	16. The Sound of....Sans??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random thought....has anyone seen "Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland?" I saw it when I was really little. That's where I got my inspiration for the black goop, and I just pulled up a videoclip of it to refresh my memory. It's funny, cause I use to fast forward to those part all the time. I actually remember nothing else of the movie except for those scenes. I must've been a morbid kid lol.
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

_A strange beeping sound.._

_You sit down in a chair..._

_A computer screen in front of you..._

_Words scroll across it..._

_...you don't like it._

_You try to move...but you can't..._

_Hands covered in black tar..._

_You're stuck...really...really stuck._

_More words..._

_...crawling up your neck..._

_...something glows brightly before you..._

_Pain._

_A harsh yank._

_More pain..._

_Vision darkens..._

_A scream..._

_...the glowing stops..._

_But the pain does not..._

_A voice echoes in your head..._

_It's telling you something..._

_Your head continues to hurt...._

_It escalates..._

_Another voice speaks..._

_...but you can't understand it...._

Your eyes open and you quickly sit up.

Or at least, you try to.

There's a weight on your stem and it's preventing you from sitting up all the way.

Your mind is clouded with sleep as your eyes dart around the brightly lit room. It takes you a moment to recognize the burgundy walls and the trash swirling around in the corner.

You feel the fear slip away as you take comfort in your surroundings.

It was just another nightmare.

Or vision...or memory.

Whatever it was, it seemed even more confusing and unclear than it was the other night. Honestly, the only reason you know it's the same dream is because you recognize some parts. The computer screen, the tar like substance on your hands, the pain…

You shiver slightly, you're almost glad the dream was so broken this time. But you were hoping things were going to become MORE clear, not less.

Either way, it's over. And you're still safe and sound in Sans' room.

You remember, you spent most of the night talking with Sans. Nothing particular, just random jokes and nonsense. He told you some other stories of his life in the Underground, and you must've fallen asleep during that. Then the nightmare began...

But it was just that...a nightmare. And it was over.

You let out a little sigh of relief. Closing your eyes, you plop back into the pillow behind you.

....

Wait...

That's not a pillow, is it?

Your eyes open, and you finally notice the blue object draped across you. You stiffen as your eyes travel across it. From the tips of its boney fingers, all the way up to the crook of the arm you're nestled in.

If this is an arm, then the pillow behind you is....

Your eyes instantly flick upwards as you lean back, tilting your head up as you continue to bend. You press yourself into the soft fabric as you crane your head up to look at what's behind you. You feel some resistance from the band aid still present around your neck, but you pay it no mind. Upside-down, your eyes falls onto a bright white skull. His eye sockets are closed and his head is lolled forward. His smile still present, but it seems a bit more slack that usual. In the light of the day, you can see that there are dark rings under his eye sockets. He's slumped lazily against the nearby wall, fast asleep.

You feel your face instantly heat up in embarrassment. You had fallen asleep...on Sans...

This had to be the most awkward position you've ever been in, aside from being tucked in a flippin’ sweatshirt before.

Your head snaps forward again as you instantly lean away from him. Of course, it's a little difficult with an arm trapping half of your body. You pull your leaves close to your body, trying to create as much distance from him as possible. You bite your lip as you begin to contemplate on how you were getting out of this situation.

But honestly, what _could_ you do??

You're in a bucket!

It's not like you can get out of here by yourself. You could probably dislodge your roots and hop out, but then what? You'd just be stuck on the dirty floor, and it's not like you can open the door! You turn and glance back at Sans, who is still fast asleep and breathing steadily. You toy with the idea of waking him up, but...you don't really want to do that either. You think those might be bags under his eyes and if that's the case then he needs all the sleep he can get.

You look away as you sigh in defeat, taking note that the heat in your cheeks is disappearing.

Guess you really just have to sit here until he wakes up on his own.

Crossing your arms, you wiggle in your planter.

The position you're in isn't exactly the most comfortable, and the arm on top of you prevented from adjusting any further.

You sit there for a moment, then turn your gaze to the spot your head was resting earlier.

You were a lot comfier lying down, right?

You contemplate it for a moment, remembering how cozy it felt when your head was resting on it.

You glance up at Sans, making sure he's still asleep.

_Well, I'm stuck here. Might as well get comfy, right?_

You hesitate for a moment, before slowly leaning forward and resting your cheek against the fabric.

It's so cushy and soft. It reminds you of your favorite sweatshirt that you use to lounge around in. You glance up at Sans one more time, before you close your eyes and push harder into the fabric. You nuzzle your face into it before letting out a content sigh.

Your face crinkles slightly when a smell hits your nose.

That's right.

It's that weird smell from before. You noticed it when you were forced into Sans’ hoodie the other day. You're not sure what it is, but you think that it's a mix of ketchup and whatever it was that died in this room. Luckily, it's not very potent. And after a moment, you get used to it. A buzzing sound hums in your ear and you recognize it from before as well. You're not sure what it is, but it's not annoying or anything.

You listen to it as you smile peacefully. The sound seems to pulsate in a solid rhythm, and under it you can hear Sans’ steady breathing. The rest of the room is quiet, not a sound can be heard elsewhere. You relax as you listen to the sounds. Then, you hear it. Your brow narrows in confusion. The buzzing, something about it had changed. You listen more closely. After a moment, it happens again. The pitch is changing, but it still keeps a steady beat. You open your eyes for a second. They dart around aimlessly as the gears in your mind turn. If this is supposed to be some kind of heartbeat, then it should stay consistent right? You close your eyes again as you concentrate, pressing you face further into the blue hoodie. As you listen, you try to pick out any other changes. But it just continues in the same pattern. Instead, you hear something else. Another sound. It's higher and fluctuates in pitch much more than the low buzzing. The more you listen, the more you begin to notice that it's seems familiar. You hum it softly to yourself, and it's then that you realize what it is. Your eyes fly open and go wide in shock.

It's...sans.. 

Not as in the skeleton, Sans. 

As in "sans."....his theme song. 

And it's coming FROM Sans!!

_What in the name of Double Stuffed Oreos!?!?!_

A loud knock interrupts your concentration.

"SANS! TINY FLOWER!!" A booming voice shouts.

Before you even have a chance to respond, someone else beats you to it.

"yeah bro. already up."

You look up at Sans, who has one eye open and is grinning down at you.

"hey. getting comfy there, buddy?" Sans asks, his grin looking rather smug. Your face instantly flushes, to the point where you think your petals are changing colors as well. You were just caught invading Sans' personal space, and you instantly pull away from him. His arm moves off you and back around the bottom of the bucket, allowing you to finally sit up straight.

"Oh! Jeeze, I'm sorry!" You immediately say. Clutching your leaves together tightly, you try to compress yourself into as little space as possible. Sans lets out a laugh as he shrugs. If he was embarrassed at all, he didn't let on to it.

"heh, no worries. what were ya doing, anyways?" His eyebrow bone raising in question.

You feel so stupid. He must've seen you all huddled up next to him. You can't imagine what he might think! You look down at your leaves, rubbing them together nervously.

"Just...listening." You mumble.

_Well, that isn’t a weird answer at all!_

"really? to what?"

Oh boy...

You wonder how odd this is going to sound.

"Well, umm...." Your voice lowers as you continue to speak. "I can hear music...coming...from you."

There is a brief pause, where you're almost positive Sans is just staring at you. But you don't want to look to see for yourself, you're much too embarrassed. 

Oh jeeze! He probably thinks you've gone crazy! With you going on and telling him you're hearing flip-

"really? you can hear that?" The causal nature of the question throws you off.

You look up at him, his face relaxed and his smile still present.

"Y-yeah." You stutter, still a little unsure.

"huh, not too many can." After a moment, he asks. "what's it sound like?"

You weren't really expecting that. He didn't seem at all concerned for your sanity and...well...just confirmed that you aren't just hearing things.

_What does it sound like, though?_

"Well...umm.." You look away as you ponder his question. You're not really sure how to explain the melody with words. You really aren't that knowledgeable when it comes to music terms and well...sometimes you can be a bit "inarticulate".

In fact, you had to look up that last word so you had some way to describe your speech pattern.

So, there really is only one thing you can do...

You glance over at Sans, feeling your blush flare up again.

You still aren’t used to doing this in front of people. You set your gaze straight forward, determined to not look in the skeleton's direction again…knowing that it would, more than likely, psyche you out.

"Like this." You mumble, before curling your leaves and holding them up to your mouth.

You take a deep breath and blow into them. You begin to play what you heard, but the melody is a bit complicated. It fluctuates and changes a lot, and you end up messing up a bit. But otherwise, you think it at least sounds a bit accurate. You play for a little bit, but stop when Sans let's out a halfhearted laugh.

You feel your cheeks heat up again, and you shrink down a bit.

Great...now he's laughing at you.

You give him a sideways glance, but you stop when you notice something about his expression seems off.

Turning your head to look at him fully, you notice that he's facing your direction...but his gaze is unfocused. He seems like he's deep in thought about something.

You realize he was probably not laughing at you. Which makes sense, now that you think about it. The laugh you had heard wasn't exactly a joyful one.

"wow." he simply says, before adding under his breath. "that's changed a lot."

You feel something inside you cringe a little. Despite his smile, something about it seems...sad.

But, you don't feel like it's your place to ask what's wrong. Instead, you decide to refocus the conversation.

"So, why do you play music?" You ask him curiously, pulling him out of his thoughts. He looks down at you, his smile returning to its default expression.

"well, all monsters do." He says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

You give him a questioning look. "Really?"

"yup, though most can't hear it." Sans begins to casually gesture with his free hand as he continues. "see, we monsters are made of magic. it courses through us and it holds us together. magic is made up of so much energy and power, it vibrates and pulses. when it does, it can create sounds, melodies...even complicated songs. if a battle is intense enough, supposedly you can actually hear it."

You briefly think back to your battle with Papyrus. That explains why you had heard "Bonetrousle" after the battle kicked up a notch. 

Sans continues his explanation. "and when there's enough magic in one area, it can affect the environment. it fuses with it and can create pulses and tremors through the earth. heck, with enough of magic, it could even cause an earthquake."

 _Tremors...in the earth?_ Is that what you've been using to navigate underground? That would certainly explain where those were coming from.

Sans shrugs. "but normally, magic is pretty quiet. only monsters with sensitive hearing actually notice it. if you want to listen to it yourself, usually you have to find someone with really sensitive sound equipment and get all hooked up."

You go over his words in your head. Maybe that's why you hear music in the game to. It would make sense...

But jeeze....

You can't help but think that all of this seems like something out of a bad fan fiction.

"Huh..." You huff in thought, before focusing back on Sans. "So, can you hear it?"

"me? nah! i did get it recorded once. but eh, that was a long time ago. and it changed a lot since then." There’s that thoughtful expression again.

"It can change?" You ask, and he gives you a strange look for some reason.

"well, yeah. magic is an extension of the soul. so if the monster changes, the magic changes. it can also be affected by emotions too."

"oh..." You simply say, lowering your gaze as you try to process all of this new information.

"no one’s..." You look back up at Sans, who is giving you that strange look again. Something like a mix of uncertainty and curiosity. He pauses for a second as he briefly glances away. Looking back at you, he asks. "no one’s ever explained this to ya before? i mean, i had to learn this stuff when i was just a baby bones."

You lower your gaze.

You're not really sure what to say.

You didn't think that he would take it very well if you just blurted out _"Well I use to be human and was literally turned into a flower three days ago..."_ So you try to come up with the next best answer you had.

"Well...no." You simply say, as you fidget a little with your leaves. "I don't...I don't really talk to people."

You know what you said was far from a lie, but you feel slightly bad for not revealing the whole truth.

"why not?" He asks.

"I dunno...I just..." You struggle with your words a bit, before finally settling on saying "...it's just easier."

It's then that you realize that you weren't just talking about in the Underground anymore.

You think Sans might be about to say something, but a booming voice cuts him off.

"SANS! YOU BETTER NOT HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP AGAIN!!!" Papyrus shouts, sounding like it's coming from downstairs.

You look up at Sans with a little smirk.

"Come on. I think we should get going."

Sans stares at you for a second, his expression hard to read. But then his smile widens and he gets up. "you're probably right, otherwise my bro's gonna have a heart attack."

You give Sans a questioning look as he picks you up. "Is that even possible if he's a skeleton?"

Sans chuckles. "nope...that's the joke."

"....Oh." You simply say before letting out a nervous laugh. 

You're a little embarrassed for not catching that right away.

But then you realize, that you didn't catch because the joke didn't seem as funny to you as usual. 

You try not to think about it.

Sans brings you downstairs and into the kitchen where Papyrus is busy cooking. The taller skeleton seems to be messing with something on the stove. Frisk is standing next to him, watching intently. Papyrus turns when you enter with Sans, the tall skeleton’s smile growing even brighter.

"GOOD MORNING BROTHER AND TINY FLOWER! I TRUST YOU SLEPT WELL!?!"

_Oh jeeze...I have to._

You smile widely as you exclaim happily. "Like a log!"

Frisk giggles in response, but you notice Papyrus' smile instantly fall.

Your smile turns into a strained grin. You kind of forgot Papyrus doesn't like puns...or at least pretends he doesn't. You can't say for sure.

_Maybe he only secretly likes Sans' puns?_

You instantly feel stupid as you let out a nervous laugh.

"Heh heh...sorry." You mutter quietly.

Papyrus gives you a concerned look before announcing loudly. "NO NEED TO APOLOGIZE, TINY FLOWER!" His smile suddenly returns as bright as the sun. "PUNNING IS A TERRIBLE DISEASE THAT BEFALLS THE INNOCENT! I KNOW THAT YOU CANNOT HELP YOUR NEED TO EXPEL TERRIBLE JOKES!! BUT NOT TO WORRY!! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL ASSIST YOU IN YOUR ENDEVOR TO COMBAT THE TERRIBLE PUN DISEASE!!!"

You're pretty sure you're giving the skeleton a dumbfounded look, but he seems not to notice as he turns back to the stove.

"BUT I SWEAR!! YOUR PUNNING IS ALMOST AS BAD AS MY BROTHER'S!!"

You hear Sans chuckle behind you.

"nah, mine is so much worse."

You turn and give Sans a questioning look, motioning towards Papyrus with your leaves. Trying to convey the question silently _"What the heck was he talking about?!"_

Sans smiles smugly as he just shrugs in an innocent manner. Part of you wonders just how innocent he is in all this though.

Papyrus continues speaking as if his brother said nothing at all.

"THE TWO OF YOU HAD THE HUMAN GIGGLING UNCONTROLLABLY FOR AT LEAST 10 MINUTES LAST NIGHT!!"

You turn back around to see the kid hurrying over to you, a little bounce of enthusiasm in their step. They stop in front of you, still bouncing on the balls of their feet. You're not really sure what their excited about, but it puts a smile on your face and causes a warming sensation to spread through you.

They're just adorable.

"Morning kid." you greet. "Sleep ok?"

"sorry if we woke ya up." Sans adds behind you, but Frisk shakes their head.

"I was actually awake already..." They say a little more confidently than usual, but then their voice lowers to a whisper. "..Papyrus snores."

You giggle a little, why are you not surprised?

"BREAKFAST IS ALMOST READY!" Papyrus announces. "INSTEAD OF BREAKFAST SPAGHETTI! I MADE SPAGHETTI PANCAKES!"

Your face inadvertently crinkles in disgust. You can't even begin to imagine what that concoction entails. Frisk looks up at you and gives you a pleading look. They did not seem enthused about the meal as they silently asked for your help.

"Err...actually the kid and I should probably get going." Papyrus turns around, looking rather disappointed. You struggle frantically for an excuse. ANY excuse. Then, it pops into your head. The best excuse ever!

"I mean, Undyne might show up any minute...right?" You give Paps a nervous grin, hoping it's not too suspicious. Papyrus pauses, and he stares at you. Then, he exclaims as he grips the side of his head.

"OH MY GOD!! I FORGOT ABOUT UNDYNE!!" He poses dramatically as he yells. "QUICK! YOU MUST MAKE YOUR ESCAPE AT ONCE!! LUCKY FOR YOU! I HAVE A SUPER SECRET ESCAPE ROUTE THAT NO ONE, NOT EVEN I KNOW WHERE IT IS!!!"

You bite your lip as you try to suppress your laughter. You don't want to upset the skeleton, but what he said was completely ridiculous.

Papyrus hurries past you and out of the kitchen. You try to peak around Sans to see what Papyrus is doing, but you can't seem to stretch far enough. You suddenly feel your bucket shift, and you turn to see Frisk gently take your pail out of the skeleton's hands. Frisk holds you tightly as they hurry into the living room, eager to see what The Great Papyrus is up to.

Entering the living room, you notice that Paps is feeling all around the walls, appearing to look for something.

"LET'S SEE..." He feels the walls and makes his way around the room. Then, his hand falls on something.

"AH! HERE IT IS!!" He shouts in triumph. And with that, he turns the knob and pulls open the front door.

"THE BEST ESCAPE ROUTE IS THE MOST DIRECT ONE!! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!!!"

You push your lips together as you tremble with the effort of suppressing your laughter. After all, you didn't want to make Paps feel bad. Behind you, Frisk is giggling quietly as they hurry out the door.

Once outside, you feel the cool air wrap around you. Your internal giggling immediately stops as you wrap your leaves around you with a shiver. You enjoyed your time in Snowdin, but you can't wait to get out of this cold!! Frisk turns and faces the front door. Papyrus and Sans are standing in the threshold.

"GOODBYE, HUMAN! I AM SURE WE WILL MEET AGAIN BEFORE YOUR JOURNEY IS OVER! CALL ME IF YOU SHOULD EVER NEED MY ADVICE OR ASSISTANCE!!"

You feel Frisk move a little behind you, in what you think is a nod. Papyrus lower's his gaze to you.

"TINY FLOWER! GOOD LUCK AIDING THE HUMAN! AND...ERR...ONCE THE HUMAN IS FREE, YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOME TO VISIT ANYTIME!!"

You feel your chest lighten. You're touched by the offer, but beneath that you feel something else. Something much darker. A mix of regret and sorrow.

Because after everything is over, after you’re back in your body and out of the game... you aren’t coming back.

_But I wish I could...._

You force the dark feeling back down as you put on a cheerful smile!

"Thanks, Paps!" You pipe happily.

Papyrus gives you a strange look.

"PAPS?!" He questions, and you realize you've never called him that to his face before.

"Oh! Sorry is it...um is it ok to call you that?" You ask with a sheepish smile. He instantly perks up.

"OF COURSE! WOWIE! A NICKNAME!!" Papyrus looks like he's going to continue, but a loud beeping sound blares from inside the house.

"OH!! BREAKFAST IS DONE!!" He speeds back in the house, leaving Sans still standing in the doorway.

He gives you two a little wink before taking a step backwards.

"we'll catch ya later."

You smile widely as you wave a leaf in the air frantically.

"See ya!"

And with that, he closes the door. You smile to yourself, before tilting your head to look behind you.

"Come on kid.” You let out a premature giggle as you smile up at them and say. "We gotta make like a log and _split!"_  

Frisk giggles as they walk down the front steps. You let out a little snicker.

"Hehe...ahh sorry, I had to." You say with a little shrug.

Frisk reaches the bottom step, and you feel their feet sink slightly in the fluffy snow. How this snow stayed so fluffy, you aren't quite sure.

You chalk it up to magic.

"Alright, here." You smile up at Frisk. "You can put me down. It will be easier if you don't have to carry me around all the time."

Frisk seems a bit hesitant. "...what about Flowey?"

You ponder this for a moment. You really didn't want a repeat of last night, but you're hoping that he won’t want to bug you with Frisk around.

"Well, I think it'll be ok. I should be fine if I stick next to you."

You instantly freeze.

...

_Stick?_

_"Pfffttt!!!"_ The air rushes past your lips as you burst out laughing.

"Oh Cheese and Rice! I didn't even try that time!" You exclaim as Frisk giggles. Maybe Paps was onto something about this being a disease! Cause wow, it really just pops out of nowhere sometimes. 

As you continue to giggle, Frisk lowers you onto the ground. You wipe a little tear away as your giggle fit subsides.  "Ahh....sorry, sorry. Getting out now."

You climb out of the bucket, keeping a tight hold of the rim as you do so. When you press one root into the ground, you instantly recoil it with a shiver.

_Ok...just get it over with._

You take a deep breath, before quickly plunging each root into the ground at once. It takes a little effort as the ground is frozen, but you quickly wiggle them in.

"Holy Cheese Grater that's cold!" You yell as the blunt of the chill reaches your core. You wrap your leaves around you as you shiver. You watch as Frisk picks up the bucket and puts it back behind the house. By the time they return, the initial shock of cold has passed and you're already starting to get used to it.

At least, as much as you can anyways.

You wiggle your roots under the earth, trying to keep them moving so they don't get too cold.

"Alright kid, got your glove?" You ask.

They nod.

"Good, you won't need it to fight but you should wear it just in case. There might be some cliffs up ahead that...ehhh I'll need help with."

They nod in understanding as they reach into the pocket. They pull out the glove and slip it on their hand. They also pull out a bandana with abs on it and put it around their head. You can't help but let out a little laugh as they pose dramatically.

They seem filled with determination.

You shake your head. This kid is just silly sometimes. But they seem a lot surer of themselves around you, not so shy and hesitant.

_I guess I can relate. I'm kind of the same way with people._

"Ok, well let's head to Waterfall then. I'll be right behind you." With that, the kid flips a thumbs up and they turn on their heels. You watch as they begin to literally march off to Waterfall. You have to laugh as you give an overly dramatic eye roll.

_This kid._

Ducking underground, you quickly follow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See ya next Sunday!!


	17. Small Fry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update!
> 
> But before the chapter begins, I just wanted to thank everyone! Everyone who sent a kudos my way, who subscribed or bookmarked this fanfic, everyone who commented, and anyone who just clicked on this silly little story (though it is really not that little anymore.) Knowing that there are people out there who like this concept and enjoys my work...fills me with DETERMINATION!!! 
> 
> OH! And this chapter is gonna be longer than normal. I really want to keep the chapter's a certain length...BUT I also want to keep the number of chapters below 50. SO! CONGRATS! LONG CHAPTER FOR YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE!!
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)

You zoom underground, following the rhythmic pulsing of Frisk's footsteps. You pop up every few steps to take note of your whereabouts.

While you're underground, you try to pay attention to the vibrations around you. You think you might've been right, that some of the vibrations you feel are magic embedded in the environment. But it's hard to pick out any particular melody from it. You can feel the rhythm, but you can't actually hear anything while you're underground.

So you can't really tell the pulsing of magic from something simply moving above you, like Frisk's footsteps. 

It doesn't take long for you and Frisk to cross the boundary between Snowdin and Waterfall. The environment shifts drastically, turning from a snowy tundra to a swampy marsh in about 5 steps. The snow dusted pine trees disappear and the walls seem to close in around you. You had almost forgotten that you're underground. The scenery isn't the only thing that changes. To your relief, the ground loses its fridge chill and the air gets considerably warmer, like the beginning of spring. Under the ground, the ice has turned to water and mixes with the dirt, making the ground much softer and easier to travel through. As you continue to pop up and look at your surroundings, you feel you're roots begin to soak up the water in the environment. As usual, it's oddly refreshing and it also reminds you that you missed your drink of water this morning.

You pop up once more, slightly behind Frisk. You watch as the kid drops the over-exaggerated march as they become distracted by the scenery. They look in awe at the crystals embedded in the walls as they stroll into the Waterfall entrance area. You stay behind, knowing that there's other monsters in that location. Despite being already discovered by two of the main characters of the game, you still don’t want to be seen. You can't help but hold onto the idea that the less people see you, the less the storyline will change. And the less it changes, the more you will be able to help.

You look on as Frisk approaches the monster kid, who starts chatting about Undyne enthusiastically. Frisk just smiles and listens intently to the excited little dinosaur monster. You smile at the sight, they’re really adorable together. Both in their striped shirts, they looked like the perfect pair of friends.

A sudden chill shivers up your stem, even though the temperature is quiet pleasant. You can't help it. You feel a pair of eyes burrowing into the back of your head.

You hastily glance behind you. Your eyes swiftly scan over the path, but no one's there. Still feeling uneasy, you hesitantly turn back around.

Maybe you're just being paranoid, but you highly doubt it. You don't feel safe here, not so far away from Frisk. But if you get any closer, someone is bound to notice you. Scanning the area, your eyes fall on the wooden sentry station and the skeleton sitting behind it…looking rather bored. You smile and, after taking one last glance behind you, you aim and pop up directly in front of the sentry station. You huddle close to the front wall of the structure, looking around to make sure no one noticed you. You try to look over the edge of the counter. But from your particular angle, you can't really see over the tall walls. All you can make out is the top of a very round skull. You wonder if you should try to say something. However, before you can you notice something move out of the corner of your eye.

You quickly spin around, but relax when you notice it's only Frisk. They hurry over to you, a big smile on their face.

_They must've noticed Sans too._

With a little hop, they stop right in front of the wooden building that, despite the pleasant weather, still had snow on it. You look up at the kid, feeling the band-aid strain as you crane your neck. Amazing it hadn't fallen off yet, but you just chalk it up to "magic". Frisk doesn't look down at you. Instead, they continue to look straight ahead with a huge grin.

"what?" Sans asks in mock offense. "haven't you seen a guy with two jobs before?"

Frisk giggles and you can't help but smile.

_Jeeze, this kid's adorable._

"hey, where's your little flower friend?"

Your smile widens as you spin to look up at Sans. At least what you can see of him. Holding a leaf high above your head, you wave it excitedly.

"I'm down here!" With this, you see the white skull shift a little. After a moment, the skeleton gets up and peers over the counter. Upon seeing his ever smiling face, you beam. "Hi-ya!"

Sans chuckles a little as he folds his arms on top of the counter, leaning on them for support. He lazily lifts a hand as he greets you. "hey, buddy." With that, he turns back to the kid.

"anyways. two jobs means twice as many legally-required breaks. i'm going to grilby's. wanna come?"

Your smile falls a little. It's not that you didn't want to go, but you literally just came from Snowdin. If you went with him, you'd feel like you'd be back tracking. And after 3 days of just hanging out in the small village, you really want to make some sort of progress. But before you can even say anything, Sans adds with a quirk of an eyebrow ridge. "after all, you kinda skipped breakfast."

As if on cue, Frisk stomach grumbles behind you. You turn to look at the kid, who gives you a little embarrassed smile. Inwardly you sigh, as much as you don't want to back track...Frisk's needs come first. And what they need is food....food that isn't just spaghetti in various forms.

You give Frisk a sympathetic smile as you shrug and say. "Eh, why not?"

Frisk smiles gleefully as they look up at Sans and nod. You turn back to Sans, but he has already pulled away from the counter.

"well, if you insist." You hear him say. You hear a strange metallic sound, one that you think you've heard before, and notice some movement from behind the stand. You hear footsteps and after a second, Sans rounds the corner. His hands are in the pockets of his now zipped up hoodie and he's smiling widely. "i'll pry myself away from my work." He tells Frisk, giving them a little wink.

Then, Sans bends down in front of you and holds out his hand.

Well..this isn't what you expected.

You're not really sure what he's doing.

You notice his hand is angled like he wants you to shake it. But glancing over it, you see no whoopie cushion in sight.

So...that can't be it.

He's actually holding it next to you, like he's going to grab you at any second. But he doesn't make a move to do so. After a moment, you come to the conclusion...you have no idea what he wants from you.

You give Sans a confused look as your eyes dart between the hand and his face.

"Ummm.." Is the only sound that you manage, before you hear Sans chuckle. His eyebrow bones raises in amusement.

"figured if we're taking a short cut...you'd need a lift."

You process his words for a second, then you realize.

OH! He DOES want to carry you, but he's just waiting for you to initiate it.

That's actually...really thoughtful. You're not sure if you'd like it if he would've just grabbed you right away.

"Oh, thanks but...can't I just...follow you?" You say with a little smile.

"eh yeah, but i’d hate for you to get lost on the way. my shortcuts...can be a bit tricky."

After a moment, you simply shrug. It's not like you hadn't being carried before.

"Well, Ok. Just a second. I gotta-" You look around as you try to think how you're gonna do this. If you don't want to fall over, you're gonna need to hold something for support. You place a leave on one of Sans’ boney digits as you begin to wiggle your roots out of the earth. They come out easily, the last one almost too easily as it throws you off balance. You fall into Sans hand and grip it tightly with both leaves. After a moment, you pull yourself more upright and try to get into position. You drape your leaves over the top of his hand, resting them lightly over his digits. You wiggle your roots, making sure they're all free.

"There!" You say in satisfaction before turning to Sans. You give him a huge smile and exclaim. "Alright, ready!"

His hand curls around you, his bony fingers griping you gently. It's a bit uncomfortable, but not intolerable.

"going up." Sans states as he slowly lifts you into the air. You sink slightly in his grip, but you're prepared for it. You tightly hold onto his hand as he brings you closer to him. Then, you notice that Sans other hand is holding the zipper tab and pulling it away from his chest. At first you're not really sure what he's doing. It looks like he's creating some sort of pocket.

_Why on-_

He then begins to lower you into it.

_Oh...OH!!_

You tighten your grip on his hand considerably as you pull your roots away from the opening.

Being carried in a bucket, you could handle. Being carried by hand, you could handle. Being carried around tucked into someone else's clothing??

_NOPE!!_

Way too embarrassing!

"H-hey!" You shout in surprise as you feel your face heat up. Glancing back at Sans, you yell. "I thought you were just gonna carry me!"

Sans doesn't seem to notice you're embarrassment as he replies. "nah, too much effort. this is much easier." With that, he continues to lower you.

You curl your roots in more as you try to think of a way out of this. Unfortunately, time is not on your side. And as much as you try to shrink away from the opening, it doesn't really help you.

You soon find yourself surrounded by walls of fabric, and you feel your blush reach to your petals. Sans tries to let you go, but you refuse. You struggle to keep your grip on his hand, but his smooth bones make it difficult. You seem to hold on despite this, but it doesn't seem to effect Sans at all. Instead, he just maneuvers his hand in a way that places the sweatshirt zipper between you and his palm. With a little turn of his hand, you're forced to release your grip on Sans' hand, grabbing onto the sweatshirt instead.

Well, that’s just plain unfair.

Seeming satisfied with the outcome, his other hand lets go of the zipper tab and you flop against his chest. You're very thankful that Sans wore a t-shirt otherwise this would've been ever MORE awkward. You huff as you try not to notice how warm your face is right now.

Ok, it's one thing when you thought that Sans didn't know you were alive in his sweatshirt, and another thing entirely when you know he's well aware of that fact.

This is not amusing, not at all.

At least…not to you.

You hear a giggle and you glance over at the source. Frisk quickly cover's their mouth, hiding their smile. Sans chuckle, and you try to ignore the rumble you feel on the back of your stem.

"sides..." Sans states, a hint of amusement in his voice "the kid seems to think it's pretty _rib_ tickling."

You try not to laugh. You are supposed to be mad, but the sound manages to escape anyways.

" _Pfft!"_ Quickly, you try to hide it. Under your breath, you mumble bitterly. "If this wasn't so awkward, I'd show you what's really rib tickling."

Sans just laughs at your remark. After a moment, he motions for the kid to follow. "c'mon, it's this way."

You feel yourself slip a little as Sans suddenly begins moving. You grab onto the fabric of the hoodie with your leaves as you uncurl you're roots and try to get some sort of foothold. You scramble a little, but you manage to pull yourself into a more secure position. You feel the metal zipper teeth dig into your stem a little with each of Sans steps, making it a bit uncomfortable. You wiggle a bit, and you find a spot where you seem to fit just right. You sway slightly as Sans continues to stroll, and you hear Frisks footsteps following closely behind.

Your roots brush against the inside of the hoodie with each step, reminding you just how cozy the inside of it is. Not in the same way as the outside though. The inside has a slightly bumpy texture, as if it is lined with fake wool. It's also a little bit rough, probably from being overused. Behind you, you're stem is being pressed into the front of Sans t-shirt, sandwiching you and helping keep you from slipping down any farther.

Overall, other than the slight smell, it's rather nice. You inadvertently snuggle into the sweatshirt, earning another deep rumble from behind you.

"heh heh." You quickly turn to give Sans a glare out of the corner of your eye. But Sans just smiles smugly. "see? it's not that bad."

You give him a little pout, but you can't help the smile that begins to tickle at the corner of your mouth.

It doesn't take long for you to give up. It's too hard to be mad at him.

You smile shyly as you admit quietly. "....ok it's kind of comfy."

You can practically hear the satisfaction in his voice as he says "that's what I thought."

As you turn back ahead, you're quiet surprised at the sight. It had happened so fast, you didn't even see it. One moment, you're staring at the cave path and the next...you're at Grillby's.

"fast shortcut, huh?"

Sans words are muffled by the chit chatting of the other patrons in the cozy little bar and grill.

_oh...._

_....oh...._

_....oh no..._

You forgot about the other monsters!

_Oh fish sticks!_

"S-sans!" You whisper hastily to him, your panic beginning to rise.

"dandy." He simple says.

You duck down slightly into Sans hoodie. "There are people here!"

"usually are."

Your eyes dart around frantically, trying to think of a solution. Then, you remember.

_Oh! Right!_

You turn your head until you're looking directly into Sans face. He's giving you a questioning look, obviously unaware of the problem.

"Just-just...pretend I'm not here!!!" You yell quietly at him before you pull your face in and turn forward once more. You hold completely still, waiting for Sans to start moving.

He doesn't move.

"really?" He asks in a disbelieving tone. Popping your mouth out, you whisper to him. "Please! Just, act like I'm not alive, Ok?!" You pop your mouth back in again, and after a moment you hear him sigh.

"alright alright." He mutters in defeat.

You feel him begin to move, and he walks around as he greets everyone in the bar. No one seems to notice you, not at first anyways.

"Heya Sansy~ what's with the flower?" Someone finally asks. You tense slightly, not sure what Sans is going to say. However, Sans doesn't even skip a beat as he replies.

"well, i was thinking about becoming a circus clown. but decided not to. i heard the circus can be pretty in- _tents_!"

The bar erupts in laughter and earns an amused snort from you.

It doesn't take long for Sans and Frisk to sit down (setting off the whoopie cushion as usual) and place an order. To your surprise, they both order something different. Frisk orders a burger and Sans gets the fries. You listen as Grillby quickly walks into the kitchen, closing the door behind him. Feeling like the cost is clear, you pop your face out again. The bar is just low enough for you to peer over it, and you quickly glance around to make sure no one else is looking. There's the horse monster at the one end of the bar, but you don't think he can see much of anything with those shades on. Next to Frisk, there's the red bird monster...but its eyes look closed. You relax as you let out a sigh of relief.

"Whew! That was close." You mutter to yourself. A voice rumbles quietly behind you.

"what was that all about?" Sans asks. You glance back at him, and upon seeing the curious look he's giving you, you quickly look away. Now you feel stupid, really stupid. And he probably thinks you're crazy or something. You need to think of a reply though. You remember what you told him earlier. "I told you, I don't really talk to people."

"that was a bit extreme, though." You can't help but internally cringe at his words.

Jeeze, that really was suspicious wasn't it?

"Well..." You begin as you fiddle with the edge of sweatshirt "when people see me they usually talk to me."

"that's usually what people do." He states. You notice that his tone didn't seem harsh, which puts you at ease a little.

He isn't trying to criticize you...

_...he's just trying to understand._

"I know." You dumbly say.

"then, why avoid it?"

You sigh.

Now what? You still didn't' want to outright lie. You bite your lip as you think of your answer carefully.

The one you come up with isn't exactly a lie...its' just not the real reason you're hiding from everyone.

Muttering quietly, you say.

"It's just...it's easier for me to just avoid people then trying to tip toe my way through a polite conversation."

If Sans is about to ask anything more, he's cut off by the kitchen door opening. Hastily, you pop your face in again. After a moment, you hear a little 'thunk' as Grillby sets a basket in front of each of them.

You listen as Sans offers the kid some ketchup, but Frisk declines. Then, the two begin chatting about how cool Papyrus is.

As you continue to listen to the conversation you knew so well, you smell something delicious. You cautiously pop an eye out. In front of you is the huge basket of steaming fries. Close enough where you could probably grab one if you just...

You glance over at Grillby, who is slightly obscured by the basket. He seems focused on cleaning the nearby glasses.

You're not even sure if you can eat, but you can definitely drink so...wouldn't hurt to try.

Right?

You pop the rest of your face out cautiously. You notice the kid eating happily next to you as they listen to Sans' words.

You carefully reach your leaves out, keeping an eye on Grillby as you do so. You notice something solid under your roots, you think it might be one of San's ribs. You use it to push yourself forward as you continue to reach. The fire monster continues his work, unaware of your presence. Satisfied he's going to remind distracted, you focus solely on the fries as you grab one between your two little leaves.

It's a bit hot, but not burning.

You slowly begin to pull it, careful not to knock any other fries out in the process. You pause as some fries shift around it, but don't fall. With one last little tug, the fry slips out. You lean back, smiling widely as you feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment wash over you. You adjust the fry in your grip, and you can't help but giggle at the sight of the massive food item. It's so weird, holding a French fry that's about the size of a baseball bat...at least...in comparison to you. 

You blow on the fry to try to cool it down before taking a big bite.

It's really good! It's warm and salty and deep fried! Just how you liked it!

You notice that upon swallowing it feels like it just disintegrates, tingling all the way down until it just completely disappears.

_Must be because it's monster food...that...or because I don't have a stomach._

"hey, small _fry_."

Hearing Sans, you crane your neck to look up at him. His smile is one of the biggest you've ever seen, enough to cause his eyes to squint in glee. You watch as the lights in his eyes flick in the direction of the counter. You follow his gaze and freeze.

Grillby is staring at you, completely still.

You feel your stomach drop as you swallow your mouthful.

You let out a little nervous laugh and give a strained smile.

You look down at your fry as you try to search for something to say.

The taste of the food still dances on your tongue. You look back up and smile shyly. "This is...umm...this is really good."

Grillby blushes and scratches his cheek bashfully. He nods in a silent thank you before turning back to cleaning the bar.

_Wow, that was embarrassing._

You hear Frisk giggle next to you.

You shoot them a look, but can't help but smirk a little as well.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up kid."

Frisk continues to giggle but as they die down. Their mouth opens wide and they let out a big yawn.

"tired kiddo?" Sans asks. 

The kid nods, and you can't help but feel a little bad. After all, you and Sans were up pretty late last night.

"Oh jeeze. We really did keep you up, didn't we?"

Frisk seems a bit surprised and hastily shakes their head. 

"No? Paps snoring then?"

Frisk shrinks down a little and makes a shaking motion with their hand.

"Kinda?" You ask, they nod slightly in response. You think for a minute, trying to figure out what else could've-

Frisk turns away from you, trying to avoid your gaze. You notice there is moister developing in the corner of their eyes. They seem lost in thought about something as they stare at their hands on their lap.

Oh...

You think you know what it is. Cause they've acted like this before.

"Did you..." You pause for a second, contemplating if you should even ask "…did you have a bad dream again?"

The kid doesn't say anything, they don't make any move to confirm or deny your suspicion. Then, they sniff and hastily wipe their face with their sleeve. 

Now you've done it!

"Aww, kid. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." 

You try to think of something to say, anything that would cheer them up. You lean down to try to catch their eye.

"Hey, listen. We all have bad dreams, and trust me...they can be pretty scary. But they can't hurt us." At this Frisk looks over to you, listening intently to your words. "And sometimes it's just your mind trying to tell you something, something important." You think that might've sounded a bit too dark, so you quickly add "Like, you shouldn't eat so much ice cream before bed." Smiling, you shrug as you turn you're gaze back to the giant fry in front of you. "But, it doesn't make them any more fun. I guess just remember that they're just inside your head. They are only as real as you make them...or...something like that?" You glance at the kid, who is still watching you with interest. You suddenly feel a little embarrassed. You think you might've rambled a bit there. You focus back on your fry as you fiddle with it in your grasp. "I dunno..I’m just...gonna stop talking now."

You try to find something to say to change the subject. Staring at your half eaten food item, you wonder....

_Well, I already feel like an idiot. Might as well keep going with it._

Perking up, you turn to Frisk and hold the fry out in front of you. "Hey, you wanna see me shove the rest of this fry in my face?"

You open your mouth wide, it almost feels unnaturally so. You shove the rest of the fry in your mouth, causing your cheeks to expand in response. It's a tight fit, but you're able to manage to fit it all in. Turning to Frisk, you hold out your leaves as you exclaim.

"Tffaa daaa!"

You're not really sure if they understood what you said, but the kid starts laughing anyways.

_Mission accomplished._

A deep rumble reverberates behind you.

You almost forgot Sans was here, he'd been so quiet.

"heh heh, hey careful there. you’re gonna choke on it."

You look up at him, continuing to try to chew. "Eyme ffyyynne!" You tell him as you wave your leaf dismissively. 

Sans laughs before asking in amusement "what?" 

You chew a couple more times, swallowing a little bit before saying again.

"Iff sed 'Imm fffiine!'"

Sans lets out another laugh as he shakes his head. "heh heh. ok, if you say so squirt."

You pause, did he really just call you that?!? You hastily swallow the rest of your food before giving Sans a fake offended look.

"Squirt!? Hey! I happen to be a full grown adult flower!"

"i'm sure ya are, doesn't mean that you aren't small though."

You huff in defeat, crossing your arms dramatically. "Fine."

You can't help the smile that still tugged at your mouth. You think about reaching for another fry, but Sans voice interrupts your thoughts.

"which reminds me, i wanted to ask ya something."

The area around you seems to go dark. Like there's a spotlight just on the three of you. The rest of the people seem like they are frozen in time, or maybe it's just that everything around you feels really tense. You look at Sans out of the corner of your eye, he's smiling like always...but...it seems a bit more forced than usual.

"you seem to know a lot about that weed....'flowey' right?"

You can't help but feel a little uneasy, but you try to hide it as you nod.

"well, i guess he's been visiting my bro for a while now. he told me about 'em a few days ago. that when no one's around, a flower appears and whispers things to him. flattery...advice...encouragement...predictions."

You try not to flinch at the last word. You hope he doesn't ask about that.

"i just thought someone was using an echo flower to play a prank on him. heh, guess i was way off. but what i don't get is why? what would flowey want with my brother? got any ideas?"

You pause and contemplate his words. It's actually a really good question. You try to step into Flowey's metaphorical shoes for a second. There was Flowey, cunning and sinister but still not able to go everywhere and do everything. Then, there's Papyrus. Super naïve and capable of following directions.

It just seems to fit right into place.

"Flowey probably thinks he can manipulate him." You explain, running different interactions between the two in your head. "Papyrus seems to be really sweet and caring, but maybe a little too trusting. Papyrus can perform tasks and go places that Flowey cannot. Flowey is cunning and a great actor, he probably tricked your brother in thinking that they're friends. But what he exactly wants with Paps, I guess I can't really say."

You pause for a second, before continuing.

"But I mean, I don't think he'll hurt him. Not yet anyways." You cringe. _Oh jeeze!! That sounded bad!_ Frantically you add. "I mean! Not that I think he'll hurt him at all! But Papyrus can defend himself, not that he'll have to! Err...I'm..." You look away, then back at Sans as you smile sheepishly. "I'm just digging myself a deeper whole, huh?"

Sans smile widens a little, he didn't really seem too bothered by your words. "eh, forgeddaboudit. thanks anyways though, that helps."

You smile widely. After a moment, Sans quirks an eyebrow and asks. "how do you know so much about flowey, anyways?"

You feel you're stomach drop. Here are the questions you were afraid of.

But you gulp the lump in your throat as you say.

"Ummm....well...I guess I've known him for a long time...."

"really? were you two friends or something?"

You shake your head.

"No, nothing like that. It's, kinda hard to explain."

As if an angel had answered your prayer, you notice Frisk move out of the corner of your eye. The kid tugs on Sans sleeve, and motions to the empty basket before them.

"done already, kiddo? wow, you really inhaled that thing, didn't ya?"

Frisk beams proudly, like it's the greatest compliment you could give them.

Sans gets up to leave. The kid follows.

"welp that was a long break. i can't believe i let ya pull me away from work for that long."

Turning to the fire bartender, Sans gives him a little wave.

"grillby, put it on my tab."

You watch as the fire monster shakes his head, like he's heard this plenty of times before.

Sans holds his hand in front of you and you grab onto it. He carefully pulls you out of his hoodie and holds you out to Frisk. They reach for you, but then stop when they realize they’re reaching with the wrong hand. They quickly switch it with their gloved hand and grab you gently.

And with that, Frisk takes you from Sans.

Sans turns and heads for the door.

"welp, see ya later." He says without turning around, waving a hand lazily above his head. As he reaches the door, he stops and turns.

"by the way...i was gonna say something, but i forgot."

You let out a little laugh, and with that...Sans leaves.

It doesn't take long until you and Frisk leave as well. Frisk steps out into the cold winter air, and you can't help but shiver.

You did NOT miss the cold.

Turning to Frisk, you shrug with a smile.

"Well Frisk, looks like it’s back to waterfall we go..." After a moment, you add exhaustingly. "...again."

Frisk giggles, and the two of you begin you're journey to Waterfall...

...

....again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next one should be on time (I have WED off so I should be able to get a bit ahead again.)


	18. Music Box

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda a short chapter, at least compared to the last one. Hope you like though!
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)

"Eh, don't worry kid." You say as you watch them walk by.

You duck underground and move a few feet in front of them before popping up again.

"That artifact was probably something stupid anyways."

Despite your efforts to cheer them up, Frisk still seems disappointed.

They continue down the path at a sluggish pace, the dusty old tutu they recently picked up flutters around them with each step. They pass you, but they don't look at you. Instead their eyes are set on the path before them, dragging their feet as they walk by.

You let out a little sigh as you watch them.

It's been tough going so far.

Luckily, even after three days of hanging in the skele-bros house, everything is still the same.

Events happen right on time, and everyone is right where they're supposed to be. Even Sans was right by the telescope like usual. So far, it seems like your presence here hasn't affected the timeline at all.

You can't help but wonder why. Is it because everyone does the exact same thing every day? Or is it because the game is coded to only trigger events when Frisk is nearby?

You're not really sure.

Either way, Waterfall seems be to taking much longer than usual.

Which, you suppose, is mostly your fault.

This area is filled with so many bridges and wooden walk ways that it's ridiculous.

Frisk has to constantly pick you up and carry you, cause you are not about to duck under that much flippin water!

Sure, you did go under a little water hazard or two in the Ruins. But this was different. Between the rushing water falls, the enormous lakes, the dark endless streams, and the glowing marshes....there are just too many opportunities to pop up somewhere you didn't want to be.

Plus, you can't give Frisk directions when you're at the bottom of a lake!

And so began the tiring process of being grabbed, digging out your roots, being carried to a location, being set down again, digging your roots back into the ground, and Frisk letting you go. Sometimes multiple times a room! It really slowed down your progress.

Well..that and umm...Frisk is not that great at puzzles.

Even with your guidance and all the practice with Papyrus, they still seem to have trouble.

To give the kid some credit, the last one was pretty hard. Even with your help, it took forever.

Turns out, the piano puzzle is much harder to solve without the arrow keys in front of you.

You like music. You like playing your leaf kazoo, but you knew nothing about playing a piano. The two of you spent almost an hour trying to figure out the right notes.

In the end, you finally got it.

Frisk was thrilled...then came the annoying dog.

Losing the artifact devastated the kid.

You knew the dog residue they got instead is more useful than it appears...but Frisk didn't.

You suddenly realize that Frisk is getting rather far ahead, and you quickly duck underground to catch up. Flowey hasn't made an appearance yet, although sometimes you get the feeling like you're being watched. It seems like you were right, as long as you stick next to Frisk...he's not gonna bug you.

You pop up a few feet ahead again and watch as Frisk catches up. As you sit there, you notice a charming melody playing nearby. You turn to look up at the massive statue next to you. Guess you had popped up right in front of it. You never really got a good look at the statue before, and from the computer screen you couldn't really see what it was. It's still a bit hard to tell exactly kind of monster isn't supposed to be, but it's definitely one with horns. It’s quiet a large statue, even for a normal sized person. The statue looks as if it's sitting cross legged, but it's hard to tell. The base of it seems to be really beaten up. Like someone threw it down here carelessly. You watch as the water dripped from the chasm above. The droplets sparkle as they catch the light and fall onto the light red umbrella, its vibrant color faded with age.

_Like a lot of stuff...I guess._

As the droplets hit the umbrella, they burst and bounce off its surface. They twinkle as they fly through the air, finally landing somewhere unknown. You notice the corner of your mouth starting to tug upwards as you gaze at the sight, a pleasant feeling warming your core.

_It's....really nice here..._

You snap out of your trance like state when you notice Frisk walking past you. After a second of thought, you turn and call after them.

"Hey, kiddo! Wait a second."

Frisk stops and turns to face you, a questioning expression on their face. You smile warmly at them.

"Why don't we take a break? We've been at this for hours after all."

They seem a bit surprised, but after a second they smile and nod as they start to approach.

Turning back to the statue, you duck underground and pop up a little closer to it. As you sit close to the statue's base, you notice that the umbrella is shielding you from the water dripping from above. You pat the ground around the statue, then the bottom of the statue itself. Nothing feels particularly damp, so you turn back to Frisk.

"It's actually really dry under here. Come on, come sit down." You say as you wave them over.

Frisk walks over and, after a little maneuvering, they sit down into the statue's lap. Their tutu flutters out around them, and they quickly try to tame it back down.

As you watch them, you wonder if this might've been a bad idea. Sitting on the statue might be disrespectful, but then you remember someone tossed it down here. And you quickly dash that thought away. _I don't think the statue will mind, it seems to have been through worst stuff already._

Frisk reaches into their pocket and pulls out a couple of Nice Cream bars.

Now, the Nice Cream bars not melting you chalk up to 'magic'. But Frisk's seemingly endless pockets, you have a feeling that will never be explained.

The kid holds out a nice cream to you, but you hold up your leaves in protest.

"Oh, no! I'm fine, kid. Why don't you save it for later, ok?"

Frisk seems a bit reluctant, but soon stuffs the bar back into their pocket.

_Good, they're probably gonna need that for later._

You let out a little sigh as you turn back to the scenery before you. The two of you sit in silence, Frisk contently licking away at their frozen treat.

Under the umbrella, you can hear the water drops fall from above. Making a little plunking sound each time one hits the tight surface. The drops fall in a sporadic rhythm, but somehow they still seem to complement the pleasant music box melody. The music echoes around the cavern and you can't help but feel a sense of calm wash over you.

"You know," you begin in a quiet voice. "I've always really liked this place. It's so peaceful, I'd use to just come here and listen. It always seemed to make my day just a little bit better."

There's a long pause as the two of you just sit in silence, listening to the melody continue to play.

"...hey Dandy?” Frisk says after a while.

"Yeah?" You ask as you continue to stare at the cavern wall in front of you.

The kid seems to hesitate for a second, and then they ask you.

"...What were you like...when you were human?"

Surprised, you look up at Frisk. They're staring at their feet and are reluctant to meet your gaze. They seem to be a bit embarrassed for asking, like they're afraid you would be mad or something. You look away from them, still a little bit surprised by their sudden curiosity. But, you figure it's an innocent question enough. They knew you use to be human, so it wouldn't hurt to tell them what you were like...but where do you start?

"Umm...well..." You think for a moment, before you continue.  "I guess a lot like I am right now. I was taller, that's for sure." You laugh a little at your remark.

You continue to describe Frisk what you use to look like. Hair color, eye color....stuff like that. Then, seeing they're still listening with keen interest, you go and start talking about the city you lived in, your apartment, your dead end job. There's a little break in the conversation where you try to think of what else to say. Then, you hear Frisk's soft voice.

"Do you miss it?" They ask.

You turn and give them a confused look. "Miss what? Being human?"

Frisk nods. 

"Well..." You say as you begin to ponder.

_That's a good question..._

Ever since you fell into the Underground, the only thing you really thought about doing is getting back. That you needed to get out of here and find a way to turn back into a human. But...you never really thought about if you actually missed it.

Did you miss being human?

Well, being a flower did have a downside...with the whole... _soul thing_. But that wasn't something you knew for certain. For all you know, your soul could be fine.

Instead, you focus on what you did know.

You go over the last few days and all the things you did. Half of those things would've never been possible if you weren't a flower.

"Well, it's kinda neat being a flower." You give Frisk a small smile as you begin to explain, gesturing widely with your leaves. "I mean...I get to travel underground and play leaf kazoo. I can spit seeds and I can easily spy on people." Your eye catches sight of your leaves and you stop. You hold them out in front of you as you look them over. 

Then, you remembered what you couldn't do. You had trouble holding things, and you couldn't walk above ground. You couldn't just take a step in a direction. You had to duck underground to move ALL the time.

It’s a bit tiresome.

"But, at the same time...I guess I kinda miss having hands and feet." 

You let out a halfhearted laugh as you remember another thing you forgot about. Turning to Frisk, you smile widely up at them. "You know what I really miss, though? Socks!"

Frisk giggles a bit and gives you a curious look. You laugh a little at their expression before you say.

"Yeah, I know, it's kinda weird but hear me out. I use to have a TON of socks! All in silly patterns. They were the one thing I wore that was fun. Otherwise, I wore just plain... _boring_ stuff. But socks were one of the few things I could wear and hide from everyone else. I could peek at them throughout the day and no one else would know. It was like my own little inside joke. I had socks that looked like pineapples, cat ones, ones with sushi on them. My favorite ones were sharks that looked like they were eating my feet!"

Frisk giggles. 

You chuckle a little as well, before shrugging and saying.

"Other than that though, I guess I don't miss much else."

Turning straight ahead, you begin to think out loud to yourself.

"I mean, my family will be worried when they find out I'm gone...but it will take them a while. I don't really talk to them much anymore. They're all busy with their own lives now."

"What about friends?" Frisk asks meekly.

You let out a laugh, and realize it sounded a little bitter. Looking a little sheepish, you give Frisk a forced smile.

"Well...that's..umm..." You're really not sure what to say. "...that's another mess entirely."

With that, you turn away. The two of you sit in silence as the music box continues to play. You don't really want to talk about your friend status, so you quickly decide to change the subject before Frisk asks anymore about it. You put on a smile as you look up at Frisk.

"So, what about you? What was it like before you fell down here?"

Frisk looks down at you, a surprised expression on their face. Then, it turns gloomy before they lower their gaze and turn away. Your smile instantly falls. You can't help but wonder if you had said something wrong. After a moment, Frisk finally speaks up. Their voice quiet, barely above a whisper.

"...I don't remember."

You're a bit taken aback. You weren't sure what you were expecting, but it wasn't this.

"You...you don't...?" You leave the sentence unfinished. Frisk shakes their head. You ponder this for a second before asking. "So, friends? Family?"

They shrink down a little bit as they shake their head again. You feel your heart sink, and you can't help but feel bad for them.

_Poor kid..._

"Oh...umm...sorry, kiddo." You reach out a leaf and pat the side of their leg sympathetically. You look into their face and try to think of something to say, something to make them feel better. "I'm...sure you'll remember eventually." You give them a reassuring smile, but they don't return it. They just continue to stare at the ground in front of them.

Not knowing what else to say, you turn away from them and stare at the ground before you. The music box still chimes away, and you listen to the peaceful melody. You muse at the fact that this melody seems to be everywhere.

Well, this melody..and another one.

Then, you get an idea. You smile to yourself as you try to think of the tune. You hold your leaves up to your face. In your head, you match up the melody with the one the box is playing.

After a little bit, you begin to play as well.

The tune you play is much slower than the other melody, but it compliments it and flows with it perfectly. The tune you’re now playing is another one that shows up a lot in the game, and is the other melody that makes up the games' theme song "Undertale."

You glance over at the kid while you continue to play. They are looking down at you, a look of pure delight on their face. You smile behind your leaves as you close your eyes again and continue to play. Knowing that it's cheering the kid up, you keep playing until you get to the very end of the song. You had stumble over quite a few parts, especially ones you weren't too familiar with, but overall you think it turned out well. You remove your leaves from you're face and jump a little when you hear the sound of clapping. Spinning around, you see Frisk smiling broadly and clapping away. You feel your face heat up as you rub the back of your stem in embarrassment.

"Heh...t-thanks." You meekly say. The kid beams at you, like they were never gloomy to begin with.

You let out a little laugh. It's funny, so many things about this kid reminded them of you when you were little. The silliness, the love of bad jokes, the delight when listening to a kazoo. Except back then, you were bolder. You weren't timid and shy, like Frisk is.

_Then again, guess that's more of what I'm like now...isn't it?_

Suddenly, you notice something strange on the back of your stem.

You're confused for a moment, and then you remember.

_Oh right! The Band-Aid._

Looking up at Frisk, you say as you point to your neck. "Hey kid, could you pull this thing off me. I don't think I need it anymore."

The kid nods, before they reach behind you.

Careful not to touch with their bare hand, they peel off the band aid. When they pull away, you reach up to feel your neck again.

It doesn't hurt anymore, but you notice that it feels a little odd. It feels like there's an indentation there now.

_Guess that's as good as it's gonna get._

Frisk takes the band aid and shoves it into their pocket. You try not to pull a face as you wonder what they plan to do with that.

_I'd...rather not think about it._

You notice that Frisk seems to be done with their Nice Cream as well.

"Well, we better get going. Undyne is still stalking about. Don't want her to find us."

Frisk shivers as they stand up. You laugh a little at their reaction.

"Yeah...I know. She's pretty scary, huh? Don't worry, she isn't THAT bad."

You watch as the kid begins to walk back to the path, and you can't help but feel slightly uneasy.

_..._

_I hope._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!


	19. NGAHHHH!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this seems to be a short chapter again. I keep overestimating how much I can fit in one chapter, so I keep having to cut it short so I can get it out on time. I'm trying to keep the chapter above 2.5k at least. 
> 
> My Pages-  
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As you quickly zoom through the earth, following the rapid ponding of Frisk’s feet, you can't help but think to yourself.

_I was wrong!! I was horribly wrong!_

The rest of Waterfall went like the first, involving a lot of being picked up and set down again. You had found Tem Village and showed Frisk the usefulness of the dog residue, selling a portion of it then duplicating it to create more to sell. They now had a good bit of gold, enough to get by pretty easily.

Then....then Undyne happened.

After encountering her a few other times, you finally got to her boss battle. You knew Undyne's attack pattern almost by heart, giving Frisk the advantage.

And it seemed like Undyne was too focused on fighting the human in front of her to notice the little flower at their feet.

But that didn't make her any less scary.

As you lead Frisk down the hallway to Hotland, you can feel the heavy steps of the angry fish monster behind you as she struggles to catch up. You zoom in front of Frisk before popping up again. You survey the area, noticing the big "Welcome to Hotland" sign flashing brightly on the wall beside you.

_We're almost there._

You spot Frisk running frantically down the hallway, a pair of large spectacles slipping farther down their nose with each step. They hastily push them back up as they continue to run. You notice that they're also holding a phone up to their ear. You're about to ask what they're doing until you hear a voice boom on the other line.

"I WAS JUST THINKING! YOU, ME, TINY FLOWER AND UNDYNE SHOULD ALL HANG OUT SOMETIME! I THINK YOU'D MAKE GREAT PALS!"

You watch Frisk speed past you, and you can't help but laugh at their dumbfounded expression.

It's then that you hear "Spear of Justice" begin to get louder and louder, followed by the clatter of heavy metal. You turn around just to time to see Undyne quickly approaching.

She still doesn't notice you, too enraged by the human trying to escape her…but her foot is quickly approaching your face. "Ah!" You yell in surprise before hastily ducking into the ground, narrowly avoiding getting squished by the massive boot.

You pop up again after you're certain you're safe. You look down the hallway, trying to focus on where you want to pop up next. But Undyne is obscuring your view with her hulking form. You grit your teeth in irritation. You need to catch up to Frisk. Quickly, you duck underground again. You focus and try to find Frisk's footsteps. It's getting easier and easier to pick them out amongst the many other vibrations you feel. It takes only a second for you to find them, and you quickly hurry to catch up.

As you zoom through the earth, you notice the ground beginning to get a bit hotter and a bit drier. You catch up to the tapping rhythm of the kid's footsteps. You need to get ahead of them to give them directions. You zoom ahead, putting a bit more distance between you two than usual. 

You feel the vibrations guide you, but something feels...off about them.

And strangely...you feel like you've done this before.

_Wait..._

_In Snowdin..._

It's then that you feel it.

The tremors change drastically.

It takes only a second for you to realize why...

_THE CLIFF!!_

You immediately stop and pop out of the ground, the color instantly draining from your face. 

You've stopped.

You’re in solid ground....

But you're right on the edge of the cliff, peering down into the molten hot magma below.

It takes a moment for your body to catch up to your brain.

But when it does...

"HOLY GUAC-" You begin to shout in surprise, but you're exclamation is cut short when you quickly duck underground. You scramble away from the cliff, until you feel a safe distance away from it.

Popping up again, you finish you're exclamation. "-AMOLE!!"

You stare ahead in pure horror, panting as you lean against a solid surface behind you.

You did it...again! You popped underground without looking and you almost went face first off a cliff! This time, it would've been into a pool of burning hot lava!! 

_Oh god...oh god I almost..._

You shake your head, trying to derail that train of thought. Now is not the time to freak out. You're alive now, you're ok.

You begin to take deep breaths as you try to calm yourself down.

You're alright...you're ok. 

_Deep breath in, and out._

But really...

You have GOT to stop doing that!

As you continue to breathe, you can't help but wonder.

How did you know to stop? The vibrations had changed, but what was different about them?

You snap out of your thoughts when you hear the sound of footsteps approaching rapidly. You look around, and you realize that the surface you're leaning against is the wall of Sans’ sentry station. You peek around the nearby corner and see Frisk running towards the shack, but they don't seem to notice you.

Instead, their eyes are fixed ahead, and when they stop at the counter you notice they're looking at something behind it.

Or you suppose some _one_. 

_Oh! That's right!_

_Sans!_

You know it's no use trying to wake him. In all of your playthroughs, he's never woken up once.  

As the kid tries to get Sans' attention, you say to them. "Just leave him, kid!" 

Frisk jumps a little at your voice but it only takes a second before their eyes land on you.

"Quick, across the bridge!" You instruct as you point to the bridge nearby.

Frisk frantically looks behind them before they begin to bend over and reach for you, but you quickly stop them.

"There's no time, Frisk! Just go!" They seem hesitant but you tell them again. "I'll be fine! JUST GO!!!"

The kid takes one last look behind them before they reluctantly run to the bridge. You watch as they begin to cross it, and then you turn back to see the fish monster emerge from the nearby tunnel. Undyne runs out but stops in front of the sentry station. She begins to look around, but then she quickly spots the kid running across the bridge and hurries after them. 

From your spot, you watch Frisk make it across the bridge just fine. But as Undyne crosses, she begins to slow and after a moment, she collapses. Frisk stares down at the fish monster, not sure what to do.

You hastily glance at the ledge before you, there's no way you're going to try to follow.

"Umm.." Well, looks like you’re gonna have to shout directions to them, huh?

"Hey, kid!!" You call to them, and Frisk looks up at you. "There's a water cooler behind you!! Get some and give it to Undyne!!"

Frisk looks behind them, they turn back to give you a nod of understanding before they hurry over to it.

They come back and pour the water over Undyne.

As you watch Undyne begin to get to her feet, you hear a loud yawn behind you.

It startles you a bit, cause the only one behind you is...

You turn around and try to peek over the sentry station wall, but you're much too small. Looking up, you see a pair of boney hands reaching up in a stretching motion.

"Sans?" You ask curiously.

Is he actually awake?

"hm?" Sans hums in question. 

_Wow, that's new._

You watch as the hands disappear behind the wall again. You hear some shifting and a white skull appears, but it's not facing you. He's leaning over the front counter. "Over here." You say as you hold up a leaf and wave it above your head. He pulls back and seems to be shifting directions. After a second, a skull pokes over the top of the wall, his smile seemingly growing wider as he spots you. 

"heya. whaddid i miss?"

You can't help but roll your eyes at the casual nature of the question.

"Oh, nothing much." You state nonchalantly, feeling a smile tug at the corner of your lips. " Just out ran a very angry fish monster. Ya know, the usual."

"oh, is that all?" Sans asks, eyebrow raising in amusement.

You're about to say something, but you quickly pipe down when you hear a stomping sound behind you. You duck closer to the sentry station, trying to hide from view as Undyne storms past. She pays no mind to you or Sans. Undyne just keeps stomping by as she passes the little make shift shack. You poke you're head around the corner cautiously, making sure she's a good distance away. You giggle a little before looking up at Sans again, who turned his attention back to you as well. 

"Yup!" You exclaim happily. "But jeeze, how on earth did you sleep through all that racket?" You motion to the monster stomping her way through the tunnel, her suite making a metallic clanking noise with every step. Sans smiles smugly as he props his head up with his hand, draping his other one over the wall.

"well, i happen to be very good at _tuna_ -ing things out." He states with a little wink.

You can't help but snicker at his joke. Looking back up at him, you cross you're leaves in front of you.

"Hehe, yeah...I can sea that."

You’re a bit surprised when Sans lets out a little chuckle. Though you're not really sure wh-

_...OH!_

You just realized what you said.

"Oh, sorry that-...oh boy, that was a pun!" You exclaim making Sans let out another little laugh.

"heh, looks like you really are infected huh?"

You give Sans a confused look. “Infected?"

It takes you a second, before you remembered what Papyrus had told you earlier. "Oh! You mean that 'pun disease' thing? Haha! Yeah, I guess I am." You shrug as you smile sheepishly. After a moment, you give Sans a suspicious look. "What's with that anyways?"

Sans just shrugs at you innocently. "ya got me. for once, i had nothin to do with it."

You're not sure if you believe him or not, but you have no reason _not_ to believe him.

He often doesn't tell the whole truth, but he's never outright lied before.

_Huh, must be something Paps come up with by himself. But...where on earth did he get that idea?_

You suddenly hear footsteps and you spin around to see Frisk hurrying over to you, a big smile on their face. When they reach you, they breathe heavily as they push their glasses farther up their nose. They seem to be pretty worn out still, but they did just outrun a mad fish lady.

You smile up at them as their breathing begins to slow.

"Hey, Frisk. You ok?"

After a deep breath, they smile widely and give you a thumbs up. You chuckle at their expression, normally people would not be that happy after running for their lives.

"Good. Undyne was pretty rough on you, huh?" You pause for a second, as you thought about what the next course of action was. "Paps called you earlier didn't he? Something about going to Undyne's house?"

Frisk nods, though somewhat hesitantly. You can tell they're a little afraid of Undyne, though it's understandable.

You are too.

But in order to get the best ending, they need to befriend her. You think for a second, quickly trying to come up with a reason for going to her house.

"Well..." You begin, looking away as you tried to choose your words carefully. "...we should probably go check on her anyways. Make sure she's ok." You turn back to Frisk, who seems a little bit nervous. You try to give them a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, she's not as scary as she seems. Besides, Paps and I will be there. We won’t let anything bad happen to ya."

Frisk thinks for a moment, and then gives a small smile as they nod.

Sans suddenly speaks up, it startles you a bit. You almost forgot he was still here.

"the river person's just up ahead." You glance up at him, and he makes a motion to the bridge as he continues. "they could take ya back to waterfall in a flash."

You go to turn back to Frisk, but you subconsciously turn towards the cliff instead. You stare at the obstacle before you, the events replaying over in your head from before.

What if something would've happened?

What if you wouldn't have stopped?

Then you would be toast...literally.

Or what if Undyne hadn't collapsed and Frisk kept running?

You wouldn't be there to help anymore.

If it wasn't a cliff that would stop you, it would be a body of water or a steel wall or something.

You sigh to yourself.

What it all came down to is that this cannot keep happening. As much as you hate it, you need to learn how to navigate around obstacles like this. You need practice, you need to try to do it.

However, the magma cliff might be too intense for you right now.

You turn and look back to the tunnel that leads to Waterfall. You remember there's a cliff not too far away from the tunnel.

You snap out of your thoughts when something moves out of the corner of your eye. You turn to see Frisk crouching down next to you. They are giving you a concerned look, wondering if something is wrong. Giving an apologetic smile, you tell Frisk "Oh, sorry. Just thinking."

You rub your leaves together as you advert your gaze, hoping that they wouldn't mind the slight detour.

"Do you think..." You look up at Frisk as you continue. "...do you think we could go back the way we came?"

Frisk gives you a questioning look, so you hastily explain as you shift your gaze again.

"I know the river person is quicker, but...there are some cliffs back there." You say as you motion to the tunnel behind you. "And I, well...I really need to learn how to get past them by myself."

You give Frisk a small smile. "Cause let's face it, you're not gonna be able to stop what you're doing and pick me up all the time. And things would go a lot faster if you didn't have to. So, do you think it would be ok if..."

Frisk doesn't hesitate to agree, giving a firm nod.

"Thanks kid, I'd just go by myself...but...." You leave that sentence in the air, knowing Frisk will pick up on it.

"that weed still following you?" Sans asks.

"Yeah, I think so. I mean, I haven't seen him but....he's not one to just leave me be."

Sans seems to think for a second before he stands from his station.

"welp, my shifts over anyways. why don't I go with ya?" He offers as he begins to walk around his station.

This...this is _definitely_ new. You're not really sure what to make of it. Maybe it's just your effect on the timeline? You decided not to think about it right now. You look up to Sans as he stands before you.

"You sure?" You ask. Sans shrugs as he continues to smile like usual.

"why not? sides, i think i know where ya talking about. and it just so happens..."

You watch as Sans zips up his hoodie. Afterwards, he crouches down to your level, holding out a hand to you.

"...i know a short cut."

You smile at him.

"Well, ok. Let’s go!" You exclaim as you grab onto Sans hand, pulling out your roots in the process. Sans stands up and lowers you into his hoodie, and this time…you’re a little more willingly to let him.

After you’re secure, Sans makes a motion for Frisk to follow. "c'mon."

Then, he begins to stroll in the exact opposite direction of the tunnel. You know by now not to question it.

"so..."

You crane your neck up at Sans, who raises an eyebrow bone.

"what's this about needing practice?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is enjoying this so far! I know there is a lot of stuff happening right now that doesn't seem too important to the story. But I assure you that there has been some pretty important stuff (as well as some little stuff) that will be brought up again later. Though, I cannot say exactly what. You'll just have to see ;)
> 
> **UPDATE 4/28: CHAPTER DELAY- next chapter will be delayed. Will be posted by 5/7 at the latest


	20. And More Cliffs!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: We are coming into summer, which so far is really busy for me. Please just be aware that, though I will continue to try posting every Sunday, my updates will be much more sporadic. But I will always give a notice on my Tumblr page if a chapter will be posted late. 
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)

You stare down into the chasm below, instinctively tightening your grip on Sans' hoodie.

The question Sans had asked you moments ago slips from your thoughts as you gaze into the abyss.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Frisk standing a few feet back. They seem hesitant to approach the cliff's edge.

You really don't blame them.

You feel your stomach turn with nausea.

This...this is a bad idea.

You think you might've been a little too hasty in your decision.

The gorge isn't very wide, maybe only 10-15 feet across.

That isn't so bad.

It's the straight drop off the edge into the suffocating darkness that has you worried.

You can't see how deep it is, you really can't.

It could be a few feet, it could be miles.

...

You really hope it's not the second one.

The shifting you feel behind you grabs your attention as Sans begins to move.

The skeleton leans further over the chasm, and you instantly panic.

_Wh-what the frick is he doing!?!_

You press yourself farther into Sans' chest as you try to distance yourself from the gap as much as possible.

He finally stops, but doesn't pull back. The image of you slipping out of Sans’ jacket and plummeting to your death invades your thoughts. You can't help but feel insecure now, like every tiny little shift you feel means that you’re going to fall.

_oh god..._

You hear an impressed whistle sound from behind you.

"wow...wonder how far it goes."

Your mind is screaming at you, that you're in danger and you need to back away, NOW!

You grip tighter onto Sans' hoodie as you pull your roots close to your stem. You want to yell at him, but your voice is caught in your throat. Instead, you force it out into a small and frantic sounding plea.

"S-sans...back up. I-I'm gonna fall." You stutter.

The skeleton snorts a little as he replies in a disbelieving tone. "what? no, you're not."

He didn't understand. You feel another little slip and your stomach clenches in fear.

You squeeze your eyes shut as you shout desperately at him.

"Y-yes I am!! Please! Back up!"

Sans stiffens, seeming to finally notice your distress. He leans away from the opening, and you breathe a sigh of relief as he does so. You take deep breaths to try to calm yourself down. You're fine now. You're ok.

Behind you, Sans’ voice rumbles.

"sorry there, buddy. i just wanted to have a look. I didn't mean to freak ya out."

You exhale one more time before your breathing returns to normal. In hindsight, you probably weren't in any real danger. It's not like Sans was just going to let you fall, and he really wasn't leaning that far.

"It’s...it’s ok." You can't help but smirk as you turn to look up at his face. "Just keep in mind I don't like to dangle over deep, dark pits of hell. Ok?"

His smile quirks upwards a bit as he lets out a chuckle of amusement. "heh, noted."

"Alright, well." You look back at the hole in front of you for a moment, before glancing back at Sans again. "Do you...could you put me down?"

"sure, buddy."

Sans backs up a few steps away from the hole. Then, he holds out his hand for you to grab onto and hoists you out of his hoodie. Once you're settled in the ground, you move close to the edge again.

You peer into the depths of the chasm.

A chill runs through your body as you try to find any sign of ground below.

You're able to see several feet down, but then it gets darker...and darker...and darker still.

Try as you might, you can't peer through the thick, black veil.

_Maybe I can toss something?_

You look around and spy a little stone sitting on the ground beside you. Bending over, you pinch the rock in one of your leaves and pick it up. You take a moment to silently apologize to the stone before you toss it down into the abyss.

You strain to listen for any sort of noise.

But after a few moments, you don't hear anything.

Then, the tiniest sound reaches you. But it's faint, you would've missed it if you weren't paying attention.

Well...

You stand corrected, this is a very _very_ bad idea.

You think you might've gone a little pale. Hearing something move, you look next to you to see Frisk taking a hesitant step closer to the edge of the abyss. They lean slightly to peer down before quickly pulling away again. They turn to you and give you a worried look, pushing up their glasses as they do so.

"Well..there's umm..." You pause for a moment, and then you give them a strained smile as you say. "There’s got to be some ground down there somewhere, right?"

They open their mouth to replay, but quickly close it again. You're pretty sure they wanted to say something reassuring...but weren't able to think of anything to say.

You both turn back to the chasm, trying not to think about what you're planning to do.

You take a deep breath as you try to steel your nerves.

"Ok...ok I can do this. It's not as bad as it seems..."

You look up at Frisk as you hesitantly ask. "....right?"

They try to give you a reassuring smile, but it seems forced.

You sigh as you turn back to the cliff before you.

_Well, at least they were trying._

"so, what's the big deal?" Sans asks and you spin around to face him. He tilts his head to the side as he smiles casually down at you. "you never did answer my question before."

That's right, he asked something earlier.

About why you needed to practice.

Or what you needed to practice for....

You can't remember exactly.

"Well..." You pause for a moment as you try to think of what to say.

Really, you didn't have anything to hide. You just didn't know how to explain your situation, since you really don't understand it much yourself.

"I have...trouble navigating underground sometimes. I mean, I can't see where I'm going so I have to just..feel. It's hard to explain, but it's not exactly easy to do. If I can judge the distance above ground first, that makes it a lot easier. So, flat paths are pretty straight forward, bu- _pfft!!_ "

You just realize you said a pun.

You let out a little giggle as you shake your head.

You look up at Sans, who's smiling down at you. Though, maybe a bit wider than it was before? It's kind hard to tell.

You feel your cheeks heat at you're little outburst. You clear your throat. "Heh, sorry."

You quickly recall where you left off in your explanation. "-but things like cliffs and rivers...I'm not really use to." You turn your gaze to Frisk for a second, who is still smiling from the pun that you let slip out.

Somehow, looking at the kid fills you with a sense of determination.

You smile at them before turning back to Sans. "But if I'm gonna keep guiding Frisk, I have to learn how to do this myself. And well...only way I can learn is by actually _doing_ it."

Sans doesn't say anything. Instead he adverts his gaze. He appears to be deep in thought about something, but he continues to be silent. Weird, usually he at least says _something_. You try not to read too much into it as you turn back to the cliff, keeping your eyes from looking into the black void. You take a deep breath as you try to psyche yourself up for your decent.

Come on, it's probably easier than you think.

Just duck underground and follow the vibrations.

_Don't think about anything else._

"Ok..." You mummer to yourself.

_Don't think about anything else._

"ready..and.."

You pull yourself underground.

As the vibrations close in around you, you can't help but think about hanging from the side of the cliff, scrambling desperately to keep yourself from falling...

_....ah crap..._

You immediately pop back out again, not having moved an inch.

"Nope! I can't! Can't do it!" You announce as you make swiping motions with your leaves.

"something wrong?" Sans asks.

You look back at him. He's giving you a curious look, his hands causally stuffed into his pockets like usual.

"No...I mean yes...I...I just...it’s..." You turn away and fix your eyes on the solid ground nearby. You rub your leaves together anxiously as you take nervous glances at the edge next to you. You begin to ramble as you hear Sans take a few steps forward. “It’s just too much to handle. I can't see where I'm going. I can't tell how far I've gone. I don't...it's too much to try to do in one go!"

You take a glance at Frisk and Sans, who are standing on either side of you now. Frisk gives you a sympathetic smile and Sans looks…normal.

Completely chill...like usual...

It's a bit irritating, like he just didn't get how hard this was for you.

You turn back to the cliff before you, and you gesture with your leaves as you continue to ramble.

"I mean...I have to go _all_ the way down this side, _all_ the way across the floor, and _all_ the way back up the other side... _all_ while I'm underground."

"thats a lot of _all's_." You spin around to look up at Sans, who is smirking playfully down at you.

The frustration continues to build inside of you, fueled by your own fear. He just didn't get it! This was scary for you! And his cool attitude was making it seem like it was no big deal.

"A lot of stuff could happen!" You exclaim as you feel yourself grow more and more frantic. You turn away as you begin to rant, you're leaves gesturing wildly around you. "I could lose track of where I'm going and I could get stuck somewhere or the cliff could fall with me in it or if there's water at the bottom and I get too close I could drown or it could be MAGMA and I get toasted or or-"

"or you could just do it and everything will be all right."

Your head snaps up. Sometime in your ramblings, Sans had kneeled down to your eye level. An arm propped up on top of his knee as the other one rested on the ground next to him, helping him balance.

It's much easy to see his features when he's closer, you can make out the details in his expressions. He's smiling calmly, his gaze seemingly softer than usual.

"But what if it's not?" You ask him timidly, feeling yourself shrink down a little.

"but what if it is?" The skeleton asks in return. He looks to the cliff for a second before turning back to you again.

"listen, you can do something no one else can do. no one can teach it to ya, you just gotta learn it for yourself. and i get it, it's scary. if something goes wrong...well..you're kind of _boned_." Despite your worries, you feel a little tug on the corner of your lips. Sans seems to notice and his smile grows into a reassuring grin. "but there's no point in worrying about it cause let's face it, there are _way_ more good things that can come out of this then bad. right?"

You advert your gaze as you ponder his words.

"Yeah, but-" You begin to say, but Sans interjects.

"hey, flowers don't have _butts_."

_"Pfft!!"_

The laugh instantly escapes past your lips. You cover your mouth with your leaves as you snicker into them, your form trembling as you try not to burst into a fit of laughter.

Behind you, Frisk giggles as well.

_Wow, I really do have the humor of an 8 year old huh?_

You hear Sans chuckle and you look up at him. He gives you a wink as he says. "i knew i could get ya with that one."

You giggling subsided, but the big smile on your face refuses to be smothered. You give him a sheepish look as you reply shyly. "Y-yeah."

He lets out another chuckle before his smile softens a little. "anyways. i'm not saying you need to do it all in one go. just, take a little bit at a time. you can do that, can't ya?"

Your smile falls slightly as you lower your gaze, pondering his words. Well, you guess you could. Who’s to say that you couldn't pop up on the cliff side as you go? It's not like you haven't hung from a cliff face before. At least this time you would actually be IN the ground and not dangling for your life. You'll be firmly planted in the earth, and you'll be able to judge the distance as you go. It's not like you couldn't just run back up the cliff if something happens.

"Well, yeah..” You mumble. Looking up at Sans, you give him a small smile. "...I guess I could."

"there ya go, buddy." He says with a wink. "and if you any need help, i'll try to walk you through it, ok?"

You're not really sure what he means, but it's reassuring all the same.

"Thanks, Sans." You say with a grateful smile.

"don't mention it." He says as he stands up, shoving his hands back into his pockets casually.

You turn back to the cliff before you, now even more determined to get past it.

"Ok, just a little at a time." You mumble to yourself as you glance into the chasm below. You feel fear creep back into you, but you force it back down. You can do this. You take a deep breath, and you let it out. "Ready. Ok, here I go." You announce, before glancing over at the kid for a moment. "Frisk..count to three for me would ya?"

They nod. And in a quiet voice, they begin to count.

"1..."

You glare defiantly down at your enemy.

"...2"

You steel yourself

"..3"

You take a deep breath in and you pull yourself into the earth.

You feel the vibrations wrap around you. You try to focus, taking note of the tremors around you as you begin to move very slowly towards the edge of the cliff. As you do so, you notice that the vibrations are changing. You remember they had before, but you hadn't been able to pinpoint exactly how they had changed.

You notice they're becoming weaker, less intense as you near the edge of the cliff.

Feeling a bit more confident, you begin to slowly descend deeper into the earth.

The vibrations pulsing above you get more intense as you dive further and further away from the surface.

Huh, you had never noticed how the tremors changed with your decent. Then again, you rarely went further underground than you had to. Most of the time, you had traveled just along the surface.

You move deeper and deeper downward. Moving only a little at a time. You try to feel your way, but the more you move the less you are sure of yourself. How far have you gone? Are you even going the right way? Maybe you’re not even going down? You're pretty sure you are, but you're not positive. You begin to feel anxious. Maybe you should pop up and check your surroundings?

_That would be a good idea... but...how?_

You're not really sure how to emerge from the side of the cliff. You've done it many times, but all vertically. Not horizontally. After a moment, you decided to try to angle yourself sideways. That way it'll be like popping up any other time.

After you wiggle yourself around, you pop yourself up. Success! The fresh air instantly greets you, and you open your eyes...

You feel your stomach drop.

You freeze as you stare at the void that you now faced. You feel the pressure of gravity at your back and are painfully aware that you are hanging from the side of a cliff.

Your roots clench in the soil, taking a death grip on the solid ground around you.

You are terrified.

You hear a small voice say something, but it's drowned out by your frantic mind.

_oh god..._

_oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no..._

Some pebbles tumble past you and fall into the void below.

_What do I do? What do I DO?!?_

You hear something behind you, but you can't focus on it.

_I'mgonnafallI'mgonnafallI'mgonnaFALLI'MGONNAF-_

"hey," a deep voice rumbles sounding almost right next to your ear. "you ok there, buddy?"

You're still frozen, but you're able to concentrate enough to form some kind of response back.

"I..I..I don't know." You stutter out.

It feels like Sans is practically right behind you. It's somewhat comforting. Maybe you're closer to the top of the cliff than you think? Maybe he could grab you and pull you back up?

A few more pebbles fall past and you hear some scuffing on the rock face behind you. There's a bit of movement out of the corner of your eye, you take a quick glance to see what it is. The pink slipper you spy is familiar to you, it's just S-

_Wait..._

Quickly forgetting the abyss before you, you spin to your left to watch as Sans continues to stroll past you...

...Literally WALKING down the cliff.

You feel your jaw drop open as you stare at Sans in bewilderment. You make choking noises as you try to force words out of your mouth.

"w-wha-upt-how-I-erp-S-sans?!"

"hmm?" He hums as he looks back at you. His hands casually stuffed into his pockets as he looks down at you out of his right eye.

He's so nonchalant about it that it's ridiculous!

"W-what are you doing?!?!" You yell at him.

Sans shrugs. "walking."

"Yeah..but...how?" You look down at his feet for a moment.

"pretty simple, just put one foot in front of the other."

Sans turns to face you fully, and that's when you notice that his left eye socket is completely shut. In the dim light of the cavern, you notice there's a faint light creeping out from under his eye lid. And that's when you remember.

_Right...magic._

Sans and Papyrus had powers which, seemingly, had something to do with gravity. Which explains how Papyrus was able to leap over you and Frisk after the battle with him. And it would also make sense on how Frisk was able to jump over all those bones...

_They must've had some help then, huh?_

But really, when he said he'd walk you through it...you didn't think he meant LITERALLY!!

Sans gives you a curious look.

"ya coming, short stack?"

Your train of thought is completely derailed by the friendly jab.

"S-short stack!?" You shout, completely taken aback. Sans grin seems to widen slightly as he lets out a little laugh.

"heh, or you rather i call you squirt?"

"Wha-I...I don't like either of those!"

"hmm...well come on." He beckons as he makes a motion with his head to follow. "i've got a few more you might like."

You let out a little laugh. Cause really, you'd almost complete forgot about your situation. Actually, if it wasn't for Sans hoodie slightly sagging sideways, you'd almost believe that you weren't hanging off the side of a cliff right now.

You are still on a cliff, but it doesn't seem so bad.

Other than the gravity, it's not much different than usual. You just need to judge the distance and then move. You gulp down the lump in your throat.

You can do this.

You focus on the spot next to Sans.

Then, you duck underground.

You move just like you normally would, though taking into account the vibrations are coming from other directions. When you think you've gone far enough, you pop up again. You are a little off, but pretty close to your mark. You sway slightly when you feel the gravity pushing against your back. But you recover quickly. With Sans next to you, it doesn't seem quite as disorienting.

You're not descending a cliff...

You're just...taking a little stroll.

You smile up at Sans, feeling much more confident now.

His left eye socket remains shut as he tilts his head to the side.

"so, shrimp then?"

Your face screws up in disgust.

"Oh gawd, that's even worse than the other ones."

Sans chuckles as he starts walking again.

"yeah, that one's pretty _craw_ -ful."

You giggle as you shake your head. You notice that Sans has stopped walking again, waiting for you to catch up. You aim and pop up next to Sans once more.

A joke pops into your head as well. Turning to Sans, you smile gleefully.

"Oh, hey! Why didn't the crawfish want to share their stuff?" You ask, your body shaking slightly from the pent up laughter as you bite your lip to keep it in.

Sans brow raises in amusement. "why?"

Your smile widens.

"Cause he was a little _shell-_ fish."

After a second, Sans lets out a snort and he starts to laugh.

You snicker at your terrible joke, but as his laughter dies down you can't help but feel a little sheepish.

You...you just told Sans a joke.

One of your stupid, immature, childish jokes.

Sure, you've punned with him a few times but you've never told a joke to him yet.

Not in person anyways...

_Oh boy, he's probably laughing at how stupid that was._

You look away as you feel your face heat up in embarrassment.

You smile timidly as you look up at him.

"Hehe..sorry, I had to." You say as you shrug.

Sans takes several steps forward before he stops again. You duck underground and pop up. This time, you emerge a little bit in front of him.

"you say that a lot, you know." Sans states.

You spin around as he begins to catch up.

Puzzled, you ask him. "Say what?"

" _sorry_."

You're about to ask him what he's sorry for when you stop. Oh, he means that _you_ say ‘sorry’ a lot.

"O-oh. Yeah, I guess I do."

Sans strolls past you, but you don't wait for him to stop before popping underground again. Quickly, you move forward and emerge a few feet in front of him again. You feel like you’re starting to get in a good pace with his strides.

"you shouldn't say it so much." he tells you as he continues to stroll past. "you say a word too much and it begins to loose it's meaning."

"Oh..sorr-" You quickly stop yourself before you say it again. "I mean. Umm. Ok."

You pop underground and surface again. "It's just...I guess it's become a bad habit of mine." You watch as Sans continues a head of you. "Every time I say something stupid...I tend to say 'sorry' afterwards."

Sans stops and looks back at you.

"something stupid?" He asks, giving you a questioning look.

You blush slightly as you lower your gaze. "Yeah..."

"funny.." Sans states, sounding slightly amused. "so far i haven't noticed you saying anything like that."

You look up at him in surprise. Sans is smiling down at you, which is nothing new.

Except somehow the smile he’s giving you seems more...sincere.    "O-oh..."

That's all you can say as you advert your gaze. You feel your cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

Somehow, you know he's not just saying that to make you feel better.

Sans’ voice breaks you out of your thoughts.

"come on, pip-squeak. we better get to the _bottom_ of this."

You giggle a little at the pun, but then realize what he had called you.

"Pipskqeak?! Oh no! _Blech!_ Not that one either."

You continue to travel down the cliff face, Sans guiding you in your decent. The chasm gets darker and darker with each movement forward. But as you descend, your eyes begin to adjust to the darkness. The light from the cavern above seems to illuminate the chasm enough where you can see....but just barely. Sans continues to rattle off various other nicknames as you continue downward.

You feel more and more confident with each pop up. Each time you dive underground, you go farther and farther ahead. It takes maybe a total of 15 minutes before you get close enough to see the bottom. From the looks of it, it's nothing special.

Just a regular cave floor.

It only takes a few more jumps before you reach it. The corner is a bit tricky to navigate around, but isn't impossible. Now that you know how the vibrations change, you're able to guide yourself around it. When you pop out of the ground, you're on the floor of the cavern. Sans stands a few feet away, the white light of his pupils cutting through the darkness. You immediately notice that both of his eyes are open, and the blue magic is no longer present.

_Well, guess he doesn't need magic down here._

But...there's something about the way he's staring at you. Maybe because you really can't read his expression in the dark? All you see are his eyes, and it feels like their burning a hole into you.

It makes you a little bit uneasy.

"Well..." You begin, scrambling for something to break the tense silence. "At least there's no lava down here, hehe." You let out a little nervous laugh.

After a moment, you hear Sans chuckle as well.

"yeah, there's a plus." He pauses for a second before he adds. "why don't we take a break for a bit? it's gonna be harder going up anyways."

The uneasy sensation escalates within you, but you quickly try to push it away. There's nothing weird about his request, he's pretty lazy after all. But...you feel like he missed an opportunity for an easy pun.

That's probably just you're imagination though, right?

"Yeah, ok." You say reluctantly.

In the darkness, you notice Sans move. You strain your eyes to watch him walk over to the side of the cliff face. You hear some shuffling and realize that he had sat against the wall. You stay put, not really sure what to do with yourself. After a moment, you decide it's too awkward to just stay in the middle of the room like you are.

You pop over to the wall next to him. Then you just...wait.

Honestly, you aren't that tiered. When you're under the earth, you can't really sense gravity. So, whether you're going up, down, left, right...it's all the same to you. But you suppose it might be different for Sans.

_Or maybe he's straining himself too much._

_He does seem to tire out after a while..._

"hey..." The sound of Sans voice makes you jump. You look up at him, but it's still hard to see his face. The whites of his eyes are looking at you though, which sends a chill through you. "I got a question for ya."

"Yeah?" You try not to sound nervous, though you're not sure if you really succeeded.

"you said you knew flowey for a long time, right?" He asks, his voice sounding very light hearted and casual. It makes you relax a bit.

"Yeah." You simply replay again.

"but I haven't seen either or you around before." Sans lets out a little chuckle. "so, i guess what i want to ask you is 'where have you been all my life?' "

You pause for a moment, before you burst out laughing. The choice of his words are obviously a joke. And you find it hilarious!

You sigh as your fit subsides.

Then you realize, Sans is still waiting for an answer. You suddenly feel a little bit anxious as you try to think of something to say.

"Oh, well... I can't speak for Flowey. But I...don't really leave the Ruins much."

You feel like that was a pretty good answer.

"really?" Sans asks in a curious tone. You smile up at him, not sure if he can see it or not.

"Yeah, I mean. I haven't really had a reason to."

"i take it not many cliffs in the Ruins, huh?"

"Eh, not really. It's pretty solid. Well, except for the false floors. But there was nothing as deep as..." You look up at the chasm above you."...this."

You continue to stare at the hole above you as the two of you sit in silence.

It really is a long way.

Maybe a mile?

"huh." Sans finally huffs, then in a light hearted tone he asks you. "so, then how do you know where you’re going?"

You feel a sense of dread fill you, and your good mood instantly deflates. Turning to Sans, you ask dumbly. "Huh?" 

When Sans speaks again, it's no longer in a light hearted tone…at least not the same one. Instead, it holds an edge of suspicion.

"you said you've been guiding the kid through the underground. but, if you can't get by cliffs and you rarely leave the ruins...then how do you know where to go?"

_Uh-oh._

You messed up...you revealed too much... 

You feel panic begin to rise in your core. It begins to take a harsh grip around your form.

But then...it stops.

The panicky feeling dissipates and you suddenly feel much more confident. Your mind's now clear, and you realize you can still get out of this...

You know there is only one way...

You need to lie.....

...

At least, a little bit....

"I found a map." You calmly state.

"...a map?" Sans echoes. You continue in a casual tone, trying to be as nonchalant as possible.

"Yeah, someone must've dropped it in the Ruins. Must've been the lady that lives in the old house there. The Ruins are pretty boring, so I'd read the map. I've must've looked over it a hundred times. It's pretty much all in my head now."

Then you wait..

Sans doesn't say anything for a few moments. You worry briefly that he doesn't by it.

Then, he replies."alright, fair enough."

You frown a bit at his words. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sans pauses for a moment, then in a casual tone he says "nothing, buddy."

You want to yell at him, to argue with him. Obviously that wasn't just "nothing". That was definitely something, but you know you should just let it go.

So you did.

Just like that.

Almost too easily actually.... That's....that's not a good sign is it?

Actually, that lie came a bit too easily for you to, didn't it?

Something...something's wrong...

You notice Sans shift beside you as he stands up.

"welp...we're in too _deep_ to stop now. better get a moving."

You force a laugh at his pun, but you don't feel any humor in it.

You want to, but you can't.

There's...just nothing there...

You quickly push those thoughts away, though.

_Come on, better just keep moving. I'm probably just thinking too much about it._

_Yeah...that's got to be it..._

_Just...don't try so hard._

The two of you begin your journey back up the opposite wall of the cliff. Sans continuing to throw nicknames your way and you trying to reply like normal. At first, you don't feel any humor behind your banter. But as you continue, it slowly starts to return. You start to smile a little more genuinely, and you start to have fun again.

As you get closer to the edge of the cliff, you start to feel a bit disoriented. Going down, you could forget that you're climbing a cliff. But going up, it's painfully obvious. You can't help but feel a bit uneasy as you take a hesitant glance behind you.

"hey..." You spin back around to see Sans standing in front of you. He gives you a sympathetic smile. "c'mon." he beckons in a low, reassuring tone. "we're almost there."

You take a deep breath as you reply weakly. "R-right."

_I can do this..._

You pop up once. Twice. Three times and then... You angle yourself towards the surface and pop up one last time. The first thing you notice is a pair of fuzzy slippers in front of you, unmoving. You sit there for a moment as you feel the familiar weight of gravity press down on you from above. It takes a moment for it to sink in. You look behind you, and spy the edge of the cliff.

You did it. You really did it.

A huge smile forms on your lips, feeling your core swell with pride. You watch as Frisk hurries excitedly across the bridge, their delight matching your own.

"You did it!! You did it!!" They shout as the hurry over to you, bouncing on the balls of their feet in front of you. You chuckle a little at their reaction. They seemed to be more excited then you are about it.

"Yeah. I did, didn't it?" You muse to yourself. Sans chuckles and you turn to look up at him. He's smiling at you, but...he looks a little bit worn out. And there's a light gleam on his skull.

"see? no sweat." He states, sounding a little out of breath.

You chuckle a little.

"Heh, yeah." You feel a little shy as you add. "Umm..thanks for, ya know...helping me."

"no problem, buddy." He says as he continues to pant.

Your smile falters slightly. He really did seem worn out. You can't help but be a little concerned.

"Umm.." You hesitate for a second. Then, in a worried voice you ask him. "Are you ok?"

He perks up a bit, seeming a bit surprised. Then, after a moment, he lets out a wheezy chuckle.

"yeah...just _bone_ tired." You can't help but laugh a bit at his pun, but you're still a little worried. You think maybe he should go home, that he should really get some rest. Before you can make the suggestion, Sans speaks up. "there's another cliff ahead. think you can handle that yourself?"

You think about it for a second, it’s a little bit bigger....but....

You don't want to make Sans go through that again.

And you've already done it once! Should be easy for you, right?

"Yeah," You reply with a smile and a confident nod. "I think so."

Sans grins down at you. "well, c'mon. it's just over here."

You begin to follow Sans, Frisk following close behind.

When you get to the cliff, you give it a once over. It appears to be a lot wider, but it's not quite so scary anymore. You're a little nervous, sure. But you're not terrified anymore. You take a deep breath, feeling ready for your decent.

"Ok, I got this." You mutter to yourself.

Sans and Frisk stand behind you, not saying a word. You take one last deep breath and duck underground once more.

You continue down the cliff in the same manner as the first. Knowing what to except, you're not as scared as you were before. You still can't help but think that something might still go wrong, but it's not hindering your progress what so ever. As you continue to descend, you feel more and more confident again. You zoom through the earth, going at slightly faster pace than you had with Sans. You reach the bottom, zooming quickly to the other side. Then, you travel back up. When you reach the top, you start to feel a little nervous again. But you push yourself past it, and after a few more feet you make it to the top.

Frisk and Sans are already waiting for you there.

The kid claps happily when they see you. You feel a little embarrassed by their applause. Sans chuckles as he smiles down at you, seeming to have recovered quite well from the previous escapade.

"good job, small fry." He tells you with a huge grin.

_Small fry..._

You remember. He called you that before. And actually...

"You know…" You ponder, and then look up at him with a huge smile. "I like that one the best. Fries are delicious!"

Sans laughs as he shakes his head. Then he rocks back on his heels as he says. "welp, it's been fun. but i should really get home before paps does. he'll freak if he finds me out after curfew."

You giggle a little as you give him a strange look. "Curfew??"

His smile strains as he gives you a blank look. "don't ask."

You snicker to yourself a little. Then, Sans gives you a little wave and starts walking back across the bridge. You raise a leaf and give a little wave in return. "Alright! Bye, Sans!"

Feeling more confident than ever, you turn to Frisk. "Ok kid, next stop..." You point in the direction of the cave as you exclaim. "Undyne's House!"

The two of you hurry off. You zoom through the earth, riding on the hype of your accomplishment.

Though, you can't help but wonder. What happened back there between you and Sans? He seemed really suspicious. Like, he knew you weren't exactly what you seemed. But after that, he acted like nothing had happened. Did he believe your little lie? Or did he just let it go for now? You're not really sure, but he seems to be back to normal for now. However, you really have to be careful what you tell him from now on. As much as you want to tell him the truth...he's really not going to like what you have to say.

Then, there was a little bit where you couldn't _feel._ You had lied so easily, it was...a bit scary looking back on it. It had been useful at the time...but....

Honestly, if you had to choose between losing your emotions forever and getting dunked on my Sans...

You'd have a real hard time making a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this chapter got really long. BUT hopefully it makes up for the last two chapter which were shorter. Hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> (UPDATE 5/18: Sorry for the late notice! But chapter 21 won't be posted for at least another week.)


	21. Cinnamon Roll

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out.
> 
> But for those who are curious, I have a plotted out my story and have a rough estimate on how many chapters I will have. If everything goes as planned, I should have between 45-50 chapters total. Meaning that we are quiet possibly have way done! Also, when I get to Chapter 25 I'm going to take some time to plan out the rest of the story and review what I've written so far.
> 
>  [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

You feel a chill run up your stem as you stare at the beast in front of you. Half of its face is cast in an eerie shadow, its fierce gaze seeming to pierce right through you. It is snarling at you, showing off its white pointed teeth.

The scales of the monster glimmer in the light, or wait...

Are those shingles?

It takes you a second to relax as you remind yourself...

This is not a creature.

This is a house.

 _Undyne's_ house _._

After the three of you had split up, you and Frisk had traveled to the fish monster's house with no trouble. But when you had entered the cavern where the house stood, the two of you had instantly froze.

Granted, the house is just how you remembered it. But seeing it in person had thrown you off a bit. You're not sure what you expected when you rounded the corner, but you really weren't prepared, huh?

_It's ok...it's just a house, nothing that can hurt you. Just a house._

You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding as you relax a little.

As you lower your eyes a bit, you notice something.

In front of the house, appearing very out of place, is Papyrus.

The skeleton monster stands there with a big smile on his face, appearing brighter than the sun. Which is quite the contrast compared to the dark forbidding fish house behind him. When he notices your eyes on him, his smile widens even further as he gives a frantic little wave. Any uneasiness leftover seems to melt away as you smile and give him a little wave back.

Papyrus really was an adorable little cinnamon roll.

Feeling better, you turn to look up at Frisk with a confident smile. But it falters when your eyes fall on them. The kid is still focused on the house before them, rubbing their arm nervously as they do so.

You can imagine how the kid must be feeling right now. After all, only reason you're not afraid is because you know Undyne won't hurt them anymore.

Frisk however...

"Hey, kid."

Seeming to snap out of their trance, they quickly look down at you.

As you give them a reassuring smile, you tell them in a gentle voice. "It'll be ok. I promise. Undyne might act tough but she's really not all that bad."

Frisk adverts their gaze, seeming unsure.

You tilt your head to try to catch their eye.

"And besides, I'll be right outside if you need anything...ok?"

They turn to you, looking a bit surprised. In a quiet voice they ask. "What about Flowey?"

It's your turn to be surprised.

"Oh." You look away as you hold a leaf to your mouth in thought. Muttering, you say to yourself quietly. "That's right. I forgot about him."

Honestly, you hadn't really thought about him since Hotland. Where was he, anyways? You haven't seen heads or tails of him since...well, the skeleton brothers' house. Sometimes you get the feeling that someone is watching you, but other than that he hasn't even tried to attack you at all. Actually, now that you think about it, he had a prime opportunity while you were practicing, didn't he? I mean, if he wanted to hurt you he very well could've then.

_That's weird._

But then again, maybe he was too worried about jumping you with Sans nearby.

It would make sense.

Hmm…

Well, either way.

It looks like Flowey isn't going to be bugging you for now. At least, as long as someone capable of helping you is nearby.

Coming to a decision, you look up at Frisk with a little shrug.

"Well, I think I'll be fine." You think for a minute before you give a little laugh and add. "Besides, I doubt he's gonna want to go anywhere NEAR a house like that." You give a little nod to the house nearby. Frisk gives a little giggle, but still appears a bit nervous. From inside the house, you notice that the sound of a piano can be heard. You cringe slightly, but not because it's bad.

It is actually sounds well played, but from what you can tell...she's pounding on the keys rather hard.

_Poor piano..._

You think you remember a joke...something about a fish and a piano?

....

…ah well.

You'll probably remember it later.

For now, you realize that the skeleton is still patiently waiting for the two of you to approach. Looking up at Frisk, you motion for them to follow.

"Come on, we better not keep Paps waiting any longer. Or he'll probably carry us over there himself."

With that, the two of you approach the house.

You're the first to reach the skeleton as you pop up at his feet.

You watch as Papyrus' smile broadens, if that's even possible.

"OHO! THE HUMAN ARRIVES! GREETINGS HUMAN AND TINY FLOWER!"

"Hi, Paps." You greet warmly.

You take a brief moment to glance behind you to make sure Frisk was still there. The kid stands slightly behind you as they wring their hand together nervously. But as they smile up at Papyrus, they seem to relax a bit more.

You smile to yourself.

Guess Papyrus just has that effect on people, huh?

You watch as the skeleton poses confidently as he exclaims.

"ARE YOU READY TO HANG OUT WITH UNDYNE?! I HAVE A PLAN TO MAKE YOU THREE GREAT FRIENDS!"

His words make your smile fall.

_Wait...what?_

"Umm... _three_?" You question as you feel your core drop. The smile he continues to wear confirms that you had heard correctly. You look away for a moment as you begin to think "Well, umm..."

This is not part of your plan. Undyne really shouldn't know that you exist. Things are already changing. You can't risk them changing even more. You can't go inside. Craning your neck to look up at Papyrus, you strain a smile. "Thanks Paps, but I think I'm gonna stay outside."

His smile falls as he looks down at you with a mix of confusion and disappointment.

"B-BUT TINY FLOWER! DON'T YOU WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH UNDYNE!?"

You internally cringe.

Honestly, even if you could meet her, you're not sure you'd want to. She seems like she would be a really cool friend, but...her loud, boisterous, up front attitude kind of intimidates you.

"Well...ummm.." You try to think of an excuse as you rub your leaves together. You look over at Frisk, who obviously feels nervous as well. "..I..I think that the kid should go without me. That way, Undyne can-...they can get to know each other. You get too many people involved and well..."

Your sentence stops there as you struggle with your words. You know what you want to say, but not sure how you want to say it. You're stuck.

Luckily, Papyrus seems to pick up on what you're trying to say. He looks away to ponder your words, rubbing his chin in thought.

"HMM...I SUPPOSE YOU'RE RIGHT." He suddenly smiles and looks more confident than ever. Holding up a finger, he states confidently. "YES! THE HUMAN AND UNDYNE SHOULD GET TO KNOW EACHOTHER FIRST! YOU WILL HAVE PLENTY OF OPPURTUNITY TO MEET UNDYNE ANOTHER TIME!" You try not to cringe at his words again as you force a smile.

"TINY FLOWER! WAIT FOR US HERE WHILE THE HUMAN AND I GO MEET WITH UNDYNE."

You nod in agreement. "Alright, I'll be right outside if you need me."

You turn back to the kid and smile kindly at them. "Remember, you'll be fine. Ok?"

The kid seems unsure for a moment, but then they perk up and give a determined nod.

You smile once more before ducking underground. You pop up close to the house, making sure your hidden behind the curve of the wall.

Satisfied with your hiding spot, you lean out a bit to watch.

"READY, HUMAN!?" Papyrus asks as he beams down at the small child before him. "SHALL WE KNOCK?!"

Frisk still seems a bit scared, but they smile as the give a firm nod. The tall skeleton turns to face the door while instructing the human to stand behind him.

Frisk hurries behind Papyrus. They exchange a couple more words before Papyrus knocks on the door.

The piano abruptly stops.

It doesn't take long for Undyne to open the door. After a few words, they step inside, the door sliding shut behind them.

You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding.

Now, you just have to wait. You pull back and lean against the wall behind you. You can hear voices coming from inside, but they're muffled and hard to make out. You hope everything will go ok. If not, at least you'll be here to help.

Although...you just realized that you're not sure how you’d get inside if something DID go wrong. It's not like you can pop up through hard floors.

You quickly shake that thought away.

It will be fine. 

She’ll just do the same thing she always does.

So, it'll be fine.

Yeah...fine.

....

You try to focus on something else.

You think of what's next.

Hotland…the land of mobile walkways, steam pipes, and lava pools. That's going to be a pain to navigate.

At least not all of it is metal. You should be able to navigate around most of it. Especially since you're a bit more comfortable with the idea of it. Though, going under pools of lava still sounds a bit nerve racking to you. You're not sure if you can get yourself to go that far. At least the rest you think you can do. Thanks to your little escapade earlier.

**_"so....then how do you know where you’re going?"_ **

You flinch slightly as Sans’ words bounce around your head.

**_"I found a map..."_ **

You feel the sensation of regret wash over you.

You had lied to Sans.

The thought still bugs you.

Ever since you left the cliff, this thought keeps popping up in your mind.

You remember that, at the time, it was easy to lie to him.

You had rationalized it with yourself that it was just a little lie. It wouldn't hurt anything. After all, the game itself was kind of a map, wasn't it?

Yeah, that was your excuse.

But looking back on it now, there was no justifying it. It was just a downright _lie_.

And really, not a very good one at that.

Seriously? You just happened to find a map?! In the middle of the Ruins!? Come now! This is part of the reason why you'd rather not lie at all! You're terrible at it! Half-truths, sure! You can do just fine. You're used to it. Telling people 'Oh, I can't go. I have something planned for tonight.' When really, you're just planning on going home to eat Oreos and watch cartoons. Easy! But lying!? You hated it! And after all you put Sans though...he didn't deserve to be lied to.

Before your thoughts can progress any farther, a loud crash erupts from behind you. You jump and instinctively duck your head.

You close your eyes and huddle against the wall of the house as something small trickles down on you from above. You hear something land on the ground in front of you, making a dull thud.

Then, all is silent.

After a moment, you slowly peak an eye open. The first thing you see is the sole of a red boot. It takes a second, but you quickly recognize it.

_Oh..._

You shift to the right to see the rest of the tall skeleton sprawled face first on the ground.

_Papyrus._

Wow, that really was quite the exit.

You didn't even realize that you were right below the window he'd jump through.

Way to be perceptive.

As you watch him peel himself off the ground, you can't help but feel a bit concerned.

Yes, it was quiet hilarious...but is he hurt?

In a soft voice, you ask him. "Oh...jeeze. Are you ok?"

Papyrus, standing at full height, turns and smiles down at you.

"OH! NOT TO WO-!" Immediately, both hands come up to cover his mouth.

He looks above your head. You follow his gaze to the now broken window. You take note that you are not directly under the it, but slightly off the side. Inside, you can hear Undyne talking clearly, but she didn't seem to notice Papyrus loud voice.

You turn back to Papyrus.

He uncovers his mouth. Hunching over, he cups a hand and holds it against the side of his jaw.

"Not to worry, tiny flower. I am quiet alright." Papyrus whispers.

You feel your mouth drop open as you gape at him in shock.

In the three days you've known him, not once has he spoken so quietly.

You thought the quietest he could be was at normal speaking volume.

But this?

_Oh...my....god...._

Papyrus continues as he poses dramatically, but his tone still low. "It takes a lot more than a misplace fall to hurt The Great Papyrus."

Throwing back his head, he lets out a soft laugh. "Nyeh heh heh."

You bite your lip to try not to chuckle.

A quiet Papyrus laugh, it was adorable.

You watch as the skeleton checks his surroundings, probably for any onlookers. Then, he gracefully jumps and does a tuck and roll to the opposite side of the window. You cover your mouth to stifle your laughter. Everything he's doing just seems overly excessive.

Papyrus holds a finger up to mouth and gives you a gentle 'shhh'.

The irony of the situation is not lost on you.

_Papyrus! Jeeze! **You're** telling **me** to be quiet?!?_

You feel a giggle bubble over but you nod your head in understanding.

Seemingly satisfied, he cups a hand next to his skull and angles it towards the open window.

You shake with pent up laughter.

_Good gravy! Papyrus! You don't have ears!! What are you doing?!?!_

The sheer silliness of it all is getting to you.

And how serious Papyrus is being isn’t helping.

A few giggles sneak out, but you quickly quiet them. You can feel your whole body tremble with the amount of laughter you're trying to hold back.

You're not really paying much attention to what's happening inside, you're too occupied trying not to blow your cover. You notice Papyrus seems a bit concerned. But after a second, he smiles.

Papyrus suddenly jumps to his feet, the abrupt action surprising you out of your giggle fit.

"DANG! WHAT A SHAME...." He states, rather loudly, through the open window. “I THOUGHT UNDYNE COULD BE FRIENDS WITH YOU. BUT I GUESS...I OVERESTIMATED HER. SHE'S JUST NOT UP TO THE CHALLENGE."

Papyrus quickly ducks out of the window again. You lean closer to the window and listen, curious to see if the response will still be the same.

On the other side of the wall, you hear Undyne shout. "Challenge!? What!? Papyrus! Wait a second..."

_Yup, still the same._

You giggle a little, knowing Undyne had taken the bait.

It's funny just how well that worked!

Shaking your head, you look over at Papyrus. There is a big smile on his face, but you're a bit surprised to see him lower himself to the ground next to you.

_He's umm...he's supposed to run off, right?_

Well, you can only guess he's staying because...well...you're here.

_I mean, he wouldn't have any other reason to stay otherwise. Right?_

Something about knowing this causes a warm sensation to spread through you. It's nice, knowing he didn't just book it right away.

You sit next to Papyrus, not really sure what to say. From the window, you hear Undyne exclaim something about being "besties." You shake your head.

"Wow. That worked...surprisingly well." You state quietly. Papyrus beams at you, and quietly exclaims.

"Of course! I am an expert when it comes to forming friendships!" You giggle quietly at his enthusiasm.

"Heh, I see that." Curious, you begin to ask. "But...how did you...?"

You make a motion with your leaves, and Papyrus seems to pick up what you're trying to convey.

"How did I know Undyne wouldn't be able to resist a challenge?" He asks and you give a shy little nod. Papyrus' smile widens further. "It's relatively simple really. I had no clue!"

If Papyrus saw the dumbfounded look on your face, he didn't seem effected by it.

Instead, he just continues.

"I just had this feeling that it would work."

"A feeling?" You ask curiously. Papyrus gives a firm nod.

"Yes." Papyrus crosses his arms to mimic his legs. "Even though I haven't known Undyne for very long, for some reason I feel like I've known her for years."

_Well that's...that's a thing._

Papyrus holds a hand up to his face as he ponders something for a second.

"I think that's why I am so great when it comes to friendship." He lowers his hand and turns to you, grinning. "I feel like I know my friends before I ever meet them! Even the human! I just had this feeling that we would become the greatest of friends!"

You feel your smile begin to fall as the gears in the back of your mind begin to turn.

This.

This is strange.

You remember that while playing the game. Papyrus had hinted that he kind of remembered Frisk, but nothing too specific. Just that he felt like he knew the human somehow.

But it seems like he actually retained some knowledge about the others. Just enough to feel like he knew them somehow and how they might react to something.

You look away for a second.

_I wonder..._

You turn back to Papyrus, who is still smiling down at you.

"Do you..." You hesitate for a second as you briefly glance away. You rub your leaves together nervously as you ask quietly. "..do you feel that way about me?"

Papyrus blinks at you, though you're still not sure how since he has no eye lids.

You decide to elaborate.

"You know, that you knew me before we met?"

The tall skeleton perks up. "Oh! W-well...hmm." Papyrus looks away as he rubs his chin in thought. You feel a bit anxious, because he appears to be thinking very hard about your question. After a few moments, he drops his hand and sighs. Looking rather disappointed, he looks down to you and shakes his head.

"No, I'm afraid not." You feel instantly relieved.

Upon telling you this, Papyrus immediately brightens and quickly adds. "But that does not mean we won't become great friends!"

You give Paps a kind smile, while in the back of your mind you make a mental note. 

This has to be is your first time through, then.

So,you haven't been just going around in an infinite time loop or anything.

_That's a relief._

After a moment, you notice something seems a bit off. Papyrus, though he's still smiling, he suddenly looks a little disheartened.

A bit concerned, you ask him.

"Hey, is something wrong."

Papyrus instantly perks up again.

"Wrong? Nonsense! Everything is very right! It's just...well..." Papyrus looks away. Seeming a bit uncertain. "I've been thinking." Papyrus wraps his arms around him as he pulls his legs in closer.

You feel even more worried, he seems so...

Nervous.

Hesitant.

And SO unlike Papyrus.

He stares out at the ground in front of him, not really seeming to be looking at anything in particular. 

"I know I'm not supposed to talk to him...but..I've been thinking that maybe I should try and find Flowey."

You feel yourself go ridged at the mention of his name.

Papyrus glances over at you before continuing. "I just can't help but think this might all just be a big misunderstanding."

This...you definitely weren't expecting.

But it’s not like you're mad at him or anything.

This was Papyrus after all.

But you _are_ worried about him.

You take a deep breath and let it out.

And in the calmest, gentlest tone you can muster, you quietly whisper.

"Paps, he tried to _kill_ me."

"B-BUT MAYBE H-" Papyrus stops suddenly when he realizes he’s speaking too loudly. Lowering his voice again, he continues. "-maybe he didn't mean to? What if he just wanted to give you a hug??" You give Papyrus a look. You know that even _he_ didn't believe that. Shaking your head, you continue to try and reason with him.

"Look, I know you don't want to believe it. But Flowey is not as nice as he seems. He's a bad person. He hurts people. He manipulates them."

"I..." Papyrus turns and looks you dead in the eye. It startles you a bit when you notice just how determined he appeared to be. In an unwavering tone, he tells you. "I don't believe that."

After a moment, that expression is gone. Instead, it is replaced by a rather discouraged one. "I know Flowey has done a terrible thing. But I think that if I can just talk to him. I can make him see that what he did was wrong. I know you don't think highly of him, and Sans doesn't want me to have anything to do with him. But I know there is some good in him." You feel something in your center soften as you listen to his words. "I think all he really needs….is a friend, a great friend." He suddenly gives you a wide smile, one so big that it crinkles the corners of his eyes. "And who else is a greater friend than the Great Papyrus?"

You don't say anything for a moment, mostly because you really don’t know  **what** to say. 

Eventually, you just have smile as you let out a little laugh.

"Heh...no one Paps." You smile wider as you add. "You are the greatest."

You shake your head.

_Everyone can be a good person, if they just try._

He really does believe that, doesn't he?

Guess there's no stopping him, huh?

"Look, Paps." You glance up at him as he gives you a curious look. "If you think you can convince Flowey to change, then I won't stop you. After all, it's pretty obvious that you can take care of yourself." You look away for a second before turning back to him. "But please, be careful. Flowey is small, but he's really good at deceiving people. And I don't want you to get hurt. Ok?"

Papyrus' smile falters a bit, before it returns to its huge size.

"Thank you." He simply says. You're not really sure what he's thanking you for, it's not like you could've really stopped him by telling him otherwise. But you just nod and say "No problem."

After a second, you get an idea. Grinning cleverly, you casually state "Besides, if anyone can get to the _root_ of his problems, it's you." You watch as Papyrus looks at you in surprise. You have him right where you want him. Your smile grows even wider as you state. "I really be- _leaf_ in you!"

Papyrus groans as he slaps a hand across his face. You giggle quietly, before you feel the familiar feeling of shame wash over you.

You can't believe you just did that.

You knew that Papyrus didn't like those jokes, but you said them anyway!

_I..oh god I feel like an idiot now._

You feel your face heat up as you give Papyrus an apologetic smile.

"Hehe...sorry." You quickly look away as the embarrassment took over you.

"It's alright, tiny flower." Papyrus says quietly. "You have nothing to apologize for."

Oh that's right. He said that before, didn't he?

Because he thought you were sick with...

'The Pun Disease.'

But....

Something about that...you don’t really like it anymore.

After all, you feel like it's just a lame excuse for you to pun without him thinking you're an idiot.

You don’t want that, you feel like you're deceiving him.

Even though in reality, he's the one who came up with it.

You turn your gaze to Papyrus.

"The Pun Disease?" You ask, not bothering to try to hide you're distaste of the name.

Papyrus gives you a curious look, so you decide to elaborate.

"That's why you think I say those stupid jokes, right?" Papyrus still seems confused, which is a bit strange to you. Again, you try to explain. "Because you think I'm sick? You said that earlier. Something about punning being a terrible disease, and that you were going to help me through the dreaded 'Pun Disease.' "

Papyrus seems to straighten as you see the realization in his eyes.

"Oh! Yes." He suddenly looks away and you can't help but notice a little color in his cheeks. He clears his throat before smiling down at you sheepishly. "Well, I _did_ think you were sick before. But you don't seem show any of the other symptoms. Other than your strange need to expel terrible jokes, you seem quite alright."

Papyrus grins down at you, holding up a finger as he quietly exclaims.

"So, I have to concur that this is just the way you are. And you should never apologize for being yourself!" Papyrus' smile softens a bit before adding. "After all, that is what makes you..you. And you are indeed a wonderful person!"

Something inside you brightens. You can't help but feel moved by his words.

He thought you were...even though he didn't like you're puns...he still..

It almost makes you want to cry...

The corners of your eyes begin to water slightly.

You have to force yourself not to think about it, only because you'll probably start bawling if you do.

_He really is the coolest._

Looking up at him, you give Papyrus a grateful smile. "Thanks, Paps."

"Anytime!" He exclaims quietly. You shake your head as you look away, and you quickly try to rub the tears out of your eyes without it being too obvious.

You needed a distraction, before it gets any worse!

"So..." You begin, as you quickly recover from your near tear experience. Looking up at Papyrus, you ask "..what is this 'Pun Disease' anyways? I mean, you said there were symptoms?"

Papyrus nods. "Yes." He begins to use his gloved fingers to count as he lists them off, one by one. "Lack of concentration, slowness in activity and thought, loss of appetite, excessive sleepiness, fatigue."

Once again, you're a bit surprised.

You were expecting, something silly.

Something that fit with punning and telling terrible jokes.

Not...not _those_ things.

Those are completely different.

They sounded like real symptoms.

Like for depression or something.

Curious, you ask Papyrus. "How..how do puns fit into all that?"

"Well...ummm..." Papyrus looks away, seeming to be a bit unsure about something. Then, he brightens and turns to you.  "Let's say that I have a brother! Not Sans! Another, metaphorical brother names...umm...Snas! Yes!" 

_Really?_

You give Papyrus a look, but he just continues.

"I noticed that Snas started displaying these symptoms. Although he had always displayed a few of these, I noticed a while ago that they just seemed to get worse and worse. He wouldn't eat, he seemed to always be sleeping, and he just didn't seem as happy as use to be."

You feel you're chest tighten a little.

That...sure sounds like depression, huh?

Papyrus continues, looking a bit crestfallen. "I was worried, so I consulted Undyne about it. She told me it was some sort of...disease. I don't quiet remember the name, but when I tried to confront my brother about it- again, my metaphorical brother. Not my real one- all he did was smile and tell these terrible puns! Of course, he always liked puns and terrible jokes but these were a bit...excessive. And twice as terrible as usual! I figured that telling terrible puns must be another symptom!"

Papyrus sighed, as he continued.

"I've been trying to help him be more active and engaged in puzzle making, but....it just doesn't seem to work anymore."

You don't say anything. You're mind just continues to reel, and you realize exactly what was going on.

As much as Papyrus tried to deny it, he was talking about Sans. And Papyrus was worried about Sans well-being, enough to try ask Undyne about it.

But Sans...either he was trying to convince Paps that he was fine or trying to push him away with his jokes.

You're not sure.

But despite that, Papyrus still wants to help...

That's why he seems hard on Sans sometimes...

He's just trying to help, the only way he knew how.

_Poor Paps...._

You feel like you want to cry again, but this time for a completely different reason.

It's just...heartbreaking.

Papyrus smiles widely at you. "That is, until-"

A sudden explosion from behind you cuts him off. Quickly, you yelp and duck into the ground. You scramble through the earth away from the house before popping up again. Glancing around you spy Papyrus standing nearby, looking at the sight in front of him. You follow his gaze to see Undyne's house engulfed in flames.

"OH DEAR." Papyrus says, his boisterous tone returning. "IT SEEMS THAT UNDYNE HAS LIT HER HOUSE ON FIRE...AGAIN." The tall skeleton poses dramatically, his cape somehow fluttering in the non-existent breeze. "FEAR NOT! UNDYNE WILL BE MORE THAN WELCOME TO TAKE SHELTER AT OUR HOUSE FOR THE TIME BEING!" Papyrus suddenly gasps as his face brightens. Turning to you, he exclaims. "OH! YOU AND THE HUMAN SHOULD COME OVER AS WELL! IT'S GETTING RATHER LATE, AFTER ALL! WE CAN ALL HAVE A SLUMBER PARTY AND GET TO KNOW EACHOTHER BETTER!"

You feel a bit hesitant, but you're not really sure what to say. "Papyrus...I umm..."

You want to tell him that you and the kid should really get going. That you needed to get the kid to the surface...but...

He's been so nice and kind... and honest...

And the excitement in his eyes...

You give him a small smile. "It...it sounds great."

You just can't say no.

"EXCELLENT!" He exclaims excitedly. "COME BY WHEN YOU AND THE HUMAN ARE READY! I NEED TO GET HOME AND PREPARE! AND ALSO TO MAKE SURE SANS IS NOT OUT AFTER HIS CURFEW!"

You have to bite your lip as you try not to laugh.

"SEE YOU SOON, TINY FLOWER!

And with that, Papyrus takes off. You watch as he leaves the cavern, your smiling falling as he does so.

You take a deep breath, and let it out. That was quiet the conversation wasn't it?

You're...not even sure where to start. 

You don't have time to think much on it, though. In only a few moments, Undyne and Frisk exit the burning house.

Trying to remain out of sight, you quickly duck into the ground.

You wait, and listen to the vibrations around you.

After a few moments, you notice footsteps and you quickly pop up again.

You watch as Undyne leaves, noticing the huge smile on her face as she does so. Frisk is waving goodbye to the fish monster, seeming to be completely at ease.

You smile.

You knew they could do it. You decide to not dwell on what you and Papyrus had talked about for now. You didn't want to bring down Frisk's good mood, not when they have finally relaxed. You quickly pop yourself next to the kid, who looks at you when you emerge from the ground.

"Wow, looks like the two of you really did a number on her house, huh?" You say with a chuckle as you glance at the burning building, which seems to be in tears.

Frisk smiles as they scratch the back of their head.

You chuckle again. "Well, she doesn't seem too upset by it at least. Actually, she was downright beaming, wasn't she? You two friends now?"

Frisk nods happily.

"Good! Cause guess what? Papyrus and I were talking and he got this crazy idea to have a slumber party. Tonight. At his house."

Frisk gasps as they clap their hands together enthusiastically. You laugh at their reaction.

"Yeah, I figured you'd like that. Guess that's a 'yes' to going, huh?"

Frisk nods excitedly, you can't help but smile. They seem to be just full of energy and enthusiasm.

Whether it was because of Undyne's cooking lesson or Papyrus’ invite, you're not sure.

But one thing's certain, they haven't been this excited since you left the brothers' house this morning.

And seeing them so happy that they can barely contain themselves... 

You want to keep it going, for as long as you can.

After all, they're just a kid. They shouldn't need to fear for their life. They should be having fun and being silly. Not to mention their energy seems to be contagious. You just can't help but feel excited as well.

An idea suddenly pops into your head.

A really silly idea.

A silly, childish, funny, irresponsible, probably bad, but highly amusing idea.

.....

Well, if you’re careful you should be fine.

You just need to make sure you don't stray too far from Frisk.

He should leave you alone then, right?

.....

Should you do it?

....

Eh, why the heck not?

You try to be as calm and casual about it at possibly, but you can't help the smile that tugs at the corner of your lips.

_This is gonna be great._

"Hmm, well we better get going then. We can just have a nice...calm...leisurely- LAST ONE THERE IS A ROTTEN EGG!!"

With this, you quickly duck underground.

You begin to zoom through the earth, and it's not long before you hear Frisk footsteps following close behind you.

Now, you were never exactly the competitive type. However, you didn't mind a little friendly race once in a while.

Following the vibrations, you quickly travel and zoom under the pathway. The vibrations drone around you, pointing you in the right direction. After a while, you notice that Frisk is catching up to you. And soon, you hear their foot falls thudding on the ground directly above.

It was just for fun, but it didn't mean that you needed to let them win.

So, you speed up a bit just to get a head of them.

The dirt quickly parts as you fly through it. You feel like a bullet.

But you also become a bit weary, you're not sure if you're still going the right way.

Pushing yourself to go faster, you zoom a several yards in front of Frisk. Then, you pop up to quickly take a look at your surroundings.

Ah, you know where you are.

You're on the right track.

As you spin around, you see Frisk running towards you.

A huge smile plastered on their face. They run right past you, but not before sticking their tongue out at you first.

You laugh a little as you shake your head, watching them continue down the path. 

Where did this kid get so much energy? Didn't they just finish a cooking lesson with Undyne?! Well, no time to question it. You aren't going to let them win THAT easily.

With a smug smile, you once again duck underground.

You keep going. Pushing yourself to go faster and faster. It's not long before you pass Frisk again, but you keep going. Moving so fast makes you a bit nervous, but you stay focused on the vibrations. You know you can beat Frisk, so you have to try. As you keep going, you feel confident in your navigation. You think of the map in your head, you need to make a turn here.

You take a right, and keep going.

Now what?

You try to think of the map again, there should be another turn.

You turn again.

Now where?

Oh right, there should be Onionsans area soon.

But how far ahead is it.

You take a moment to pop out and check.

You're panting as you look around, confident smile still plastered on your face.

Then, you stop.

You're breathing slows as the smile slowly falls.

_Where..._

Your brow furrows in confusion.

This area, you don't recognize it. 

Not at all.

The cavern is completely empty. 

Nothing but the generic cave walls with tiny sparkling crystals.

The silence is a bit eerie, and you feel like something is wrong. 

You can't hear anything but your own breathing.

No water. No echo flowers...

No footsteps.

_oh..._

You’re filled with the sensation of dread as you turn to look around you frantically.

But try as you might, you can't find them.

Frisk is nowhere to be seen.

You lost them.

You are alone.

You feel a chill run through you.

_oh no..._

This..this is bad.

This is really _really_ bad.

_oh no...oh no..oh no..._

You try to stay calm. You try to think of what to do.

It's then that you feel something wrap around one of your roots.

Quickly, you try to pull it away.

But it doesn't release you.

A high pitch cackle rings out behind you, and you quickly spin around.

Flowey smiles at you menacingly, and your stomach drops.

"Wow, you  _really_ are an idiot!!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want to say a brief thank you for everyone being so patient with me. I'm glad you all are sticking around to see what happens. *excited squeal* I can't wait to show you!!
> 
> UPDATE (6/11) Chapter 22 is more than likely going to be delayed. I'm sorry, I thought I could make it but it isn't working out like I want. ALSO- I have been making some changes to this chapter. Nothing too drastic but the whole "race" thing is going to change a bit.


	22. Time to Kick It Up a Notch!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for being so patient! Here it is! A day early to! Enjoy~
> 
> (also, I made some changes to the end of the previous chapter with the whole "race" thing. Nothing dramatic so you don't necessary need to go back and read it.) 
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

Fear takes a firm hold on you.

You feel the familiar sensations of his roots tightening over your own.

You begin to panic. Clenching your eyes shut, you quickly begin to struggle against them.

Some lose their grip and slip off you, but they're only replaced by more.

You hear a growl of frustration.

"Stop _struggling!_ " Flowey shouts. "Wiggling around like that isn't going to do you any good! I'm stronger than you!"

As if to emphasize his point, he squeezes his roots tightly around you.

Your eyes fly open and you stare horror struck at the grinning flower in front of you.

He's right.

Oh god, he's right.

You know he's stronger than you.

You've tried to wiggle out of his grasp before, and that didn't work.

Your eyes frantically scan the ground around you, your mind racing.

What do you do?

You can't just let him kill you!

You don't want to die!

But you've tried everything!

You can't escape!

...

But....

Maybe you can make him let you go?

There's still one thing you haven't tried...

Knowing that it's your last chance at survival, you’re filled with determination.

You raise your head and glare at Flowey in defiance. His smile just widens, clearly amused by your expression.

That's when you strike.

Rearing your head back, you spit.

The bullet shoots out and zings through the air. It hits its mark smack dab between Flowey's eyes.

Flowey reels back and yells in pain as the bullet bounces off.

The grip around your roots loosen instantly. You watch as two large roots emerge from the ground and he uses them to rub his tender forehead.

Now's your chance. 

Without another moment’s hesitation, you quickly duck underground and flee for your life.

You zoom beneath the earth as fast as you can, navigating solely by the vibrations…without any knowledge of the world around you. You have no idea where you're going, but at this point it doesn’t matter. You just need to run.

You inwardly curse at yourself.

What were you thinking?!

You've done some stupid stuff in your life, but this takes the cake.

You got too comfortable, you were too careless.

Sure, you wanted to do something fun with Frisk.

But a race?!

REALLY?!?!?!?

_God! I'm so stupid!!_

You continue to flee, trying to focus on any changes in the vibrations as you do so. Last thing you need right now is to die because you fell off a cliff. 

You keep going, but the longer you go the more nervous you become. 

You still don't know where you're going.

As much as you need to get away from the demented flower, you also need to find a place where you'll be safe. And you can't do that unless you know where you are.

Taking a brief moment, you pop out of the ground and look around you. Panting, you glance around the cavern.

You still don't recognize it. Everything just looks the same, and nothing seems to stand out to you.

You grit your teeth in frustration as you inwardly curse.

_Cheese and Rice!_

This doesn't help you at all.

Not taking a moment longer, you quickly duck underground again.

The tremors surround you once more.

You focus on them and pick out the ones you know well. The ones that will at least point you in a familiar direction. 

That's when you notice it.

A vibration, a different one. It's faint but it's quickly growing stronger and stronger.

Like something quickly approaching.

You cringe when you realize what it must be.

It's Flowey, and he's following you.

Quickly speeding away, you continue to navigate underground. You constantly check Flowey's location as you zoom through the earth, making sure you know where he is at all times. Luckily, he isn't gaining on you.

But crap!

You need to think of a plan.

Something!

Anything!

However, try as you might... nothing comes to mind.

There's just too much you're trying to concentrate on right now.

Like making sure you don't die.

Guess you'll just have to make it up as you go.

You keep going, constantly trying to push yourself to keep moving as fast as you can. 

It feels like you're starting to gain some distance on him.

Taking the opportunity, you decide to check your surroundings again.

When you pop up, you're met with nothing but darkness. A bit frantic, you spin around and search your surroundings for a light source. 

Where are you? Why is it dark? 

At first you can't see anything, then your eyes adjust to the darkness and they fall on a large object next to you. It's hard to make it out in the darkness, and at first it startles you. But it seems vaguely familiar as it glows dimly with a blue light. 

Then, you realize what it is.

You reach out to touch it. Instantly, the room brightens. Around the room other lanterns emit a similar glow, but slowly they begin to fade. A sense of relief washes over you. Finally, you know where you are. You're in the room with the fading lanterns.

....

....

_How the heck did I get here?!_

Wow! How turned around were you?!

Oh, wait. 

That's right.

The vibrations you were following.

They always seem to come from Hotland, don't they?

Well, it doesn’t matter now.

This is your chance! You can finally lose him! You scan the room and your eyes fall on a particular corner of it. You touch a lantern to test it. Sure enough, even with the lanterns full glow, the corner stays completely pitch black.

_Perfect!_

Quickly, you pop into that location. You take a few deep breaths as you try to calm your frantic breathing. Once it's under control, you wait. You hold completely still and just wait. You keep your breathing shallow and steady. You try not to fiddle with your leaves as you hold them next to your chest. 

Part of you is confident in your plan, but you can't help but feel a little nervous.

If this doesn't work....

The lanterns in the room darken. You can barely see a thing.

After a moment, you see it. A shadow popping up on the other side of the room.

You hold your breath and you don't move an inch.

The shadow shifts, appearing to look for something.

It should be too dark for him to see, but he doesn't even bother to turn the lanterns on.

_What is he doing?_

After a moment, you hear him say. "Really? _This_ is your plan? Hiding from me?"

Flowey lets out a wicked little cackle.

You begin to feel more anxious, you think you might've forgotten something.

The figure shakes its head, and tells you in a condescending tone "If you haven't noticed yet, we have some very special abilities as flowers."

You feel a bead of sweat run down your brow, but you don't move.

"Sure, we can't feel emotions. But we can feel magic. Something about our bodies, they're overly sensitive to the environment. I can feel every little hum coursing through the earth. I can hear the water trickling in the next room, the little melody drifting through the air."

Curious, you strain yourself to listen. It's faint,  _really_ faint, but you can hear it to.

You see the dim glow catch Flowey's face, there's a sly smile plastered on to it.

It fills you with a sense of dread.

"And if I concentrate enough, I bet I can pick out the trembling of a tiny...little...leaf."

You hold your breath. He can't, can he?

He couldn't possibly....

But as you sit there, you hear something.

You quickly look down.

You're leaves are clenched together tightly, and they're shaking.

Try as you might to stop them, you can't.

_Oh no..._

You look up at the dark figure again, and your stomach drops.

The light from the lanterns catch his eyes, making them glow in a blue light. He's teeth are bared in a sinister grin.

He's staring.

Right at you.

"Found you!"

As quickly as you can, you duck into the earth. You scurry away, feeling several spindly roots brush past as they try to grab you. 

You speed through the earth as fast as you can.

You need to get away from him! You need to find a place to hide! But where?! If he can hear you, then there's no hiding from him!

....

No.

You don't need to hide.

What you need is help.

The others...

Frisk, Sans, Papyrus....

You _need_ to find them!

But where do you go?!

You took off so fast…you don't even know which direction you're going anymore! You're just trying to run and keep yourself from falling off-

You feel the vibrations shift.

_Oh sh-_

You instantly stop and pop up. A cliff. Luckily you stopped right on time, but...

You recognize this area. You're on the path leading to Hotland.

Darn it!

You're going the wrong way!

Everyone else is behind you!

You turn to look down the path you came from, trying to focus on the vibrations you feel in your roots.

You feel a pulsation quickly approaching.

You inwardly curse.

Great, he’s coming from the direction that you need to go.

You have no choice. You have to keep going. 

Ducking under the ground, you make your way around the cliff as you try to think of another plan.

You can't reach the others, but what about other people?

There are other monsters in the Underground.

And if Flowey wants to stay hidden and keep his "Friendly Flower" persona up...

Then all you have to do is find someone to take shelter by.

He'll probably leave you alone then.

_Probably._

You zoom back up the cliff side and move onto the next one. Huh, you just realized you did it without popping up once.

You'll congratulate yourself later.

Right now, you have to focus.

You quickly zoom to the next cliff and cross it without a problem.

But you're starting to feel drained, and try as you might...you can feel yourself slowing down.

That's right. With all the running around you've done today, you're finally beginning to wear out.

The tremor behind you is starting to get stronger.

He's catching up to you.

_Shit shit shit shit shit!_

You push yourself to go faster, but it's not working. You're just too tired.

You need to find someone to help you and fast!

How far have you gone? The earth is starting to feel warm and dry.

You must be close to Hotland, just a little more.

…

But...wait....

_oh no._

You realize that there's a problem with your plan.

You feel the tremors in front of you change and you instantly stop and pop up.

Your stomach drops.

The cliff.

The _bad_ cliff.

The lava below you bubbles and churns. The heat's so intense that you can feel it on your face even though you have to be at least a few miles above it!

_oh no oh no oh no oh no...._

What do you do?

How on earth do you plan to cross _that?!_

"What's the matter?" A voice asks in mock concern.

You quickly spin around.

Flowey beams at you.

"Golly, don't tell me you’re stuck. And here I was starting to enjoy our little game."

Another bead of water glides down your face as you gulp down a lump in your throat.

_What...what do I do now?_

You give a quick glance to the cliff behind you.

You're so close!

Hotland is just on the other side.

If you can get across, then there should be someone who can help you.

There is no time to think!

Flowey's right there!

You need to try to cross it!

 _I...I can do this..._ _Just baby steps, remember?_

_Very quick...hasty baby steps._

You look back up and inside you prepare yourself for the plunge...

.....

But.

Then you stop.

Not because of fear.

No...

That seems to have disappeared.

No, you stopped because of a budding realization.

_This..._

You think to yourself as you lower your gaze.

Your brow furrows as you come to your conclusion.

_....This is stupid!_

You raise your gaze to Flowey again, who is just looking at you with a mix of confusion and amusement.

"Or maybe you've finally decided to just let me kill you? Is that it?"

You don't cringe, you just continue to glare.

_Even if I could cross that cliff, it's not like Flowey couldn't FOLLOW me._

Flowey lets out a little cackle as he grins at you sinisterly. "Well, I won’t pass up an opportunity for free EXP."

_Plus, he could probably do it TWICE as fast._

You hear a rapid popping sound, and notice a string of white dots circling around you. 

You feel no fear.

_No, there really is only one option isn't there?_

The pellets surround you, hovering and seeming to spim by themselves in the air.

_I need to fight Flowey._

Flowey's face twists into something demonic looking.

"DIE!"

The pellets slowly advance on you, closing in around your form. In the background, you can hear Flowey cackling like a lunatic.

The pellets are inches from you now.

_I need to fight him for as long as I can._

You take a deep breath in.

And you duck underground.

You zoom out from the circle and pop up again. Flowey turns to you, looking rather upset. You waste no time, you fire at him. He manages to get out of the way, but it grazes one of his petals.

He grits his teeth as he shouts. "Oh! Is _that_ the way it's going to be?! FINE! It doesn't matter! Either way, you're still going to die!"

You watch as several pellets appear and shoot at you. Once again, you duck underground and pop up several feel away. You fire another pellet, and he swerves out of the way.

Flowey begins to look frustrated. "Hold still so I can kill you!"

More bullets fly at you, but you dodge out of the way again. Popping up, you attack. This time, you spit twice at him. One misses but the other one hits, causing one of his petals to tear slightly.

He growls, he seems to be getting more and more irritated with you.

In a low voice, you hear him say. "If you can't hold still..." His face grows much darker. "...then I'll MAKE YOU!"

You feel a tremor coming at you. You know it's Flowey's roots. You duck underground and maneuver out of their grasp. When you pop up again, you fire more pellets. Flowey dodges them, but one scraps his cheek. You can't help but wonder why he wasn't just ducking underground? He could easily dodge your attacks that way, right?

Flowey attacks again, and once again you dodge out of the way.

When you fire you're attack, you realize something important.

You're attacks are speeding through the air much faster than Flowey's.

That's why he isn't ducking into the ground. He doesn't have time to.

You can't help but smile in smug amusement.

Even when you feel completely exhausted, you're still faster than he is.

The battle continues on, with you landing a few hits here and there. A few bullets manage to graze you, but otherwise you remain unharmed. But you're tired. So very...very tired. After a few more turns, you start to feel irritated. After one of your moves, as you're panting from exhaustion, you shout at him.

"What's your problem?! Why can't you just leave me alone?!"

Flowey wheezes, his body littered with little cuts and bruises here and there. He glares at you, feeling nothing but hatred from his intense gaze.

"Because you ruined everything!!" He yells back. "You kept them from finally snapping! Now I'll have to go through this stupid-" Flowey cuts himself off as he lets out a growl. Shaking his head, he turns back to you and yells. "You shouldn't even _be_ here!"

With that, he attacks again. This time with a flurry of bullets so intense that you barley make it into the ground before they hit.

You pop up again and prepare another attack.

But then you stop.

Flowey is slumped over, breathing heavily.

You can't tell how much HP is left, but you have a feeling that it isn't much.

Between his panting, you hear him cursing you under his breath.

"You...you stupid...idiot."

He struggles to straighten himself, and you just continue to sit and watch.

That last attack must've taken a lot out of him. You don't feel any sympathy for him, though.

How could you?

He just tried to kill you!

It's not like he deserved any!

After a moment, Flowey finally manages to sit up.

Looking frustrated, he begins to mutter. "I don't understand. Why are you here? Why? Everything else is the same. You're the only thing that's different this time."

He pauses as he thinks for a moment, then turns to you with a sly grin.

"So, what now? Are you actually going to try to kill me?"

You roll the pellet around on your tongue. It would be easy to fire it, right? Then, you wouldn't have to deal with this little weed ever again.

But...

You can’t.

But not because you feel bad or because you don't want to.

No. Because you NEED him.

He has to break the barrier.

It's not like you can do it. You wouldn't even know how!

You turn and spit the bullet out onto the ground next to you. Looking up at him, you plainly reply. "No."

"Then, do you except me to just give up?"

You don't say anything. Flowey scoffs as he frowns at you.

"Well, that's not going to happen either. So, you should _really_ just let me kill you. It would make this go so much faster."

Raising your brows, you simply say. "That's really not going to happen."

Flowey snarls at you. He looks like he's getting really pissed off. "There isn't any other options!"

You can't help but feel very clever, a satisfied smirk gracing your lips.

"Actually, there is one." You calmly explain. "I'm going to keep dodging and keep fighting...until someone comes and gets me."

The flower looks a bit surprised for a second, before he scowls at you again. "What makes you think _anyone_ would come looking for _you?!_ You're just a stupid...little... _sprout!_ "

You take a second to ponder how little if plants insults there are in the world.

But you quickly dash that thought aside, you have more important things on your mind right now.

Like, how utterly satisfying this is.

"Because the kid _needs_ me." You say as you continue to smile slyly. "They need me to guide them. They need me to help them. Without me, they won't get very far. I bet Frisk is looking for me right now, and it's only a matter of time before they finally find me."

Flowey's eyes narrow at you, and he gives you a very suspicious look.

"...How do you know their name?"

The question hangs in the air between you two. The air around you suddenly feels tense.

You don't say a word.

But your smile widens a bit further...

And a bit further...

And a bit further.

You have a feeling that your smile may be quiet creepy, though you can't really tell.

You're only going off of Flowey's expression, which is quite priceless.

He's staring at you, his body ridged.

He doesn’t look horrified, but he’s quite nervous to say the least.

_Who knew messing with him could be so amusing?_

Before either one of you can say or do anything else, you hear a noise behind you.

It startles you and you're smile instantly falls.

You turn your head slightly as you listen to it.

Footsteps.

There's someone walking across the bridge, their steps slow and even.

You don't turn to see who it is.

You don't need to.

You turn your focus back to Flowey and give him a smug grin.

Flowey growls as he whispers threateningly to you. "This isn't over."

With that, he quickly disappears beneath the earth.

You wait for a second, just to make sure he's really gone. Then, you let out a sigh of relief.

You feel your body relax and slump forward slightly from the lack of energy.

You really did push yourself, huh?

You don't think you could've handled a "round 2" with the little....

Under your breath, you mutter to yourself. "Stupid weed."

"you ok there, small fry?"

You turn around and look up at Sans standing behind you, not surprised to see him in the least.

After all, those leisurely steps couldn't belong to anyone else.

You merely nod before turning away from him.

Silence falls between the two of you.

Honestly, you're not really sure what to say. It's good he's here, and you're relieved that the whole ordeal is finally over.

But at the same time...you just want to get back.

You're tired, you're worn out.

And right now...you really wish you were home.

 _Your_ home.

The sound of Sans zipper snaps you out of your daze. You turn and watch as the skeleton crouches down next to you. His expression appears softer than usual.

In a quiet voice, he says. "come on, I'll give you a lift."

You don't argue. You just grab onto his outstretched hand. 

He lifts you up and places you in his jacket. 

As you settle in, you notice the smell and you crinkle your nose in disgust. But it only takes a second before you seem to get used to it. Guess you're starting to get "nose blind" to it now, huh?

After you're secure, Sans begins to casually stroll back the way he came.

For a while, neither of you say a word.

Then, curiosity gets the best of you.

"Where's Frisk?" You ask. After all, the kid is probably the most worried about you.

"back at the house." He plainly replies. After a moment, he adds. "you know, you gave them quite a scare... disappearing like that."

You frown, feeling a bit patronized.

"I got turned around." You mumble.

Sans doesn't say anything more. If he's mad or irritated with you, he sure isn't showing it. Which is good because, thinking back on everything, you can’t help but be irritated with yourself. After all, this whole thing was your own dumb fault.

You glare at the moving ground in front of you, as if it is somehow to blame. "What was I thinking? I should've never started that dumb race."

" _tibia_ honest, that probably wasn't the best decision on your part."

You can't seem to find any humor in his pun. You're too busy internally scolding yourself.

With a scowl, you quietly mutter to yourself. "I'm so stupid."

Before you can add anything else, Sans quickly interjects. "hey, i never said that." You feel Sans shrug before he continues. "so you messed up, it happens. a mistake now and then doesn't mean that you’re stupid."

Sans pauses for a brief moment before continuing.

"take my brother for example. now, some of the things he does aren't exactly what ya call smart. but he's not stupid. he just thinks differently. like one time, he -"

You stare blankly ahead, only half listening to what Sans is saying.

As he continues his story, you can't help but feel a bit annoyed.

You know what he's doing. He's trying to make you feel better with one of his silly stories again. Like he did the first night he met you. After he told you that he believed you had a soul, he spent the majority of his night talking to you…trying to cheer you up. Then, the next day he goes and helps you climb down a cliff. He must’ve been tired, it's not like he could've slept well sitting against the wall like that the night before. But he still helped you. And between that he's been telling puns, laughing at your childish jokes, and easing your concerns. His brother does the same thing! Papyrus does silly things and makes you laugh all while encouraging you to just be yourself. But....

"Why do you do that?" You suddenly ask in the middle of Sans' story.

Sans suddenly stops walking. You notice the damp air around you, and you realize that you must've spaced out for a bit.

You're in Waterfall now, though you’re not sure exactly where. It didn't matter right now.

Sans doesn't respond, not right away. After a moment of silence, he speaks up. "do what?"

You turn your head to look at him out of the corner of your eye. You can see the puzzled look on his face, it makes you frown. "You and Papyrus always try to make me feel better. You even go out of your way to do it. Why? You barley even know me. So, why go through all the effort?"

Sans stares at you, his expression hard to read. After a few moments, he doesn't say anything. You think you might've pushed your luck, so you just turn and look ahead again. "Just, never mind."

You sit for a few moments, but Sans still doesn't move. You wonder what's keeping him, maybe that was a bit of an odd question.

Then, he hesitantly asks. "you...you feelin' ok there, small fry?"

You look back at him again, he's still smiling as usual but it seems...off.

You're not sure what to say. Other than completely exhausted and a bit sore, you feel alright. You sigh as you turn away from him.

"Yeah, I'm just...I'm just tired." You mumble.

After a few moments, you feel Sans shift uncomfortably. You can't help but notice he seems a bit stiff, like he's sore or something. 

You decide not to mention it.

"well, come on...we better get you home." Sans starts walking again, blatantly ignoring your question from before. You wonder if he's even going to answer it.

After a few moments, you realize he isn't.

You don't think you should press him though. So, you just let it be.

Suddenly, you remember something from earlier.

"By the way...it isn't true."

You hear Sans hum in question, but he continues forward. 

"What you told me earlier, about being the only one that can do what I do? Flowey can go underground too..just so you know."

Sans lets out a laugh. "noted." After a second, he adds. "but i sorta figured as much...seeing he's a flower to."

"Then, why did you tell me all that?"

You feel Sans shrug.

"i dunno. i just remember someone telling me that once, and i guess it seemed like the right thing to say at the time."

"Who was it?"

"eh, i can't really remember."

You feel a bit confused. He can remember something like that but not remember who said it to him?

You decide not to question it.

You're probably pushing your luck already.

It's then that you hear it, a familiar melody. You look over and spy the source of it. It’s the statue, the one that you and Frisk sat by earlier.

"One more short cut to go." Sans informs you as continues down the path.

You watch the statue as you pass it, the water drops are still bouncing off of the red umbrella.

The light catches them, making them sparkle.

The music box continues to play its soothing melody.

But...

Nothing...

This place has always given you a sense of peace and serenity.

But now...you can't feel it.

Actually, you can't feel anything, at all.

_This..._

You turn ahead again as Sans brings you out of the room, the melody still echoing down the halls.

_This isn't good at all...is it?_

And you can't help but think that the worst part is...

You didn't even realize when it happened.

When did you stop feeling?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for Reading! See ya next chapter!!
> 
> (Update 6/26: Next chapter will be posted between 6/27-7/1)


	23. Tuna Fish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished up this chapter in the car on my phone, so I apologize if I made some major spelling mistakes. 
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

The sound of the music box grows fainter and fainter with each step as you and Sans continue through the cavern.

Rushing water can be heard in the distance.

Sans doesn't say a word, but you hear his steps crunch into the gravel path.

Otherwise, all is silent.

Leaving you to your thoughts, which seem to be spinning a mile a minute.

You're still trying to remember exactly when you lost your emotions. It's really bugging you.

When was it?

You know you were feeling emotions at Undyne's, as well as when you were having your little race with Frisk.

After you got separated, you felt panicked and afraid. So, you were still feeling something then as well. At that point, that little weed started chasing you all the way to Hotland and...

....

The fight with Flowey...

That's when you stopped being afraid.

A lack of fear...

That seems to be a dead giveaway, huh?

Every other time you noticed that you weren't feeling anything was because you were lacking fear or nervousness.

Well, there's one mystery solved.

So, now what?

Your emotions still haven't come back yet, and it's been a long time since then.

They have never disappeared for this long before.

Will they even come back this time?

What if they don't?

What if they don't come back?

What if this is the way you'll be for the rest of your life?

Or worse!

What if you get so emotionally distant you do something terrible?!

What if you hurt someone!?

What if-

.....

Wait…

The sinking feeling in your stomach...

.....

You're panicking.

The feeling isn't strong, but it's there.

Your emotions are coming back.

At least, you think so.

You let out a little sigh of relief as you close your eyes.

_I think...I think I'll be ok._

You feel a chill hit your face, snapping you out of your thoughts. You open your eyes to see pristine white snow on the ground before you, cast in the dark shadows of the oncoming night.

You don't bother to raise your gaze any higher, you already know where you are.

You made it, you're in Snowdin.

You are still safe.

"Dandy!" A worried voice calls.

Your head snaps up, eyes immediately falling on the brothers’ cozy little cabin. More precisely, the front porch. Where, in the warm glow of the house, you can see a small figure jumping off the top most step.

They come running towards you, their face hard to read in the dim light.

As they approach, their features become easier to see in the darkness.

They look worried, REALLY worried.

_Guess Sans was right._

When Frisk reaches you, they slow to a stop. They're breathing heavily and their eyes are scanning over you, glasses nowhere to be seen.

_Which is probably for the best, it's not like the kid needs them or anything._

"see kid, told you i'd find 'em." You hear Sans say, but Frisk doesn't seem to notice as they're too focused on you.

You can't blame them, you probably look terrible.

You can feel your petals drooping slightly and there's a stinging sensation coming from a few of them.

Frisk reaches out to you, but they quickly pull back before they can touch.

Their ungloved hands hover over you, like they want to pull you into a hug but they're afraid to.

And knowing what would happen if they did, you don't blame them.

You feel a little guilty for making them so worried, it's not like this was their fault. Trying to reassure them, you force a tired smile.

"Hey, kid." You greet, your voice betraying your exhaustion. "Sorry I took so long."

It's an automatic response, the first thing that popped into your head. But the apology feels...hallow. Like you're not quite feeling it. It worries you slightly, making you wonder just how much of your emotions are actually back.

The kid looks away for a second, seeming to contemplate something. Then, they turn back to you with a determined expression on their face. Before you can even question them, they reach out to you again.

This time, they don't pull away.

You flinch back as their tiny fingers land on either side of your face. You feel a sudden jolt, the familiar pain coursing through you. But then, as brief as a static shock, it instantly subsides. You sit there for a moment, just staring at Frisk.

_Where...where did it go?_

The pain is just...gone.

You concentrate for a moment, trying to see if maybe you just missed it. You think that you feel something, but you're not even sure how to describe it. Whatever it is, it feels dull and distant.

But other than that, you feel fine.

_And now that I think about it...doesn't something else usually happen too?_

You try to think back on the other times this had happened.

You begin to remember something...

Then...

You feel your cheeks smush together, your lips inadvertently pursing.

It snaps you out of your thoughts, and you stare at Frisk in confusion.

Frisk's small fingers continue to push into your face as a smile begins to grow on theirs.

_What the-?_

You feel something warm grow inside you, and you let out a little snort.

Your mouth curls into a smile...a very _smushed_ smile.

"K-kid!" You shout, taking note of how weird you now sound. You begin to shake with pent up laughter, but they don't let you go. You begin to giggle as you try to push their hands away with your tiny leafs.

"Kid! Wha are yoou dooin?!" You try to turn your head away, but you can't manage to slip out from their grip. Frisk begins to giggle, their smile growing wider as you struggle.

"I'm ffiinne, Friss! Ssstoopp!" You whine playfully before they finally let you go. You giggle as you vigorously rub your cheeks, trying to get the sensation to go away.

"Jeeze, Frisk. What are ya trying to do? Get my face stuck like that?!"

The kid gives you a smile as they shrug sheepishly. You shake your head, internally musing on how silly this kid was sometimes. Giving them a reassuring smile, you tell them. "Look.... I'm ok, really. I just got a little lost. That's all."

Frisk gives you a stern look, like they know you aren't telling them something. Then, they point a finger and draw circles in the air around your face.

You give a sideway glances at your petals, noting the various cuts that litter them. None of them are very deep. Most of them are nothing more than shallow scuffs.

"Oh, these?" You question before turning back to the kid. They cross their arms and give you a little pout, daring you to try to make something up.

You try to think of something to say, something that would sound better than what had actually happened.

"...umm..." You pause for a moment, before you give a little sigh of defeat. There really isn't a way around this one, is there?

You look into Frisk's face, who continues to look at you expectedly.

"Ok, I did end up running into Flowey too." Noticing Frisk's face softens into one of concern, you quickly add as you strain a smile. "But I took care of it! See! I'm fine! Nothing but a few scratches, really!"

Frisk seems a bit skeptical, not really sure if they believe you or not.

After a second, they smile and nod.

"alright you two." Sans interjects as he puts a hand on Frisk's shoulder. He takes a few steps forward and begins to gently guide the kid back towards the house. "how 'bout we get inside. this skeleton's turning into a _bone-cicle_."

You let out a little giggle as Frisk gives you and the skeleton a big grin. Turning back towards the house, Frisk hurries excitedly ahead. Leaving you to casually stroll with the lazy skeleton, though really...it's not like you had much of a choice. But you can't help but notice something about him seems different than before.

He seems a lot more...relaxed now. But that's probably just you. After all, when is he NOT relaxed?

Sans continues walking in a leisurely pace towards the house.

Giving you time to cycle through your thoughts.

You feel happy and relieved.

You have your emotions back, but you're still worried. Why is your soul doing this? There has to be something wrong with it. But what? You know it has something to do with being a flower. But the only thing that it points to is...

No…

You refuse to believe that you’re soulless, at least until you have some way to know for sure.

For now, you should just keep doing what you’re doing. Keep guiding Frisk, and hope that you'll get out of this place before it gets any worse.

A blast of warmth and light hit your face, and you instantly raise your gaze. Frisk is already running into the kitchen when Sans steps inside, closing the door behind him. Everything looks the way it did last time you were here.

Which was only yesterday actually...

Jeeze...it's been a really long day, hasn't it?

"About time you got back!" A familiar voice yells.

You instantly stiffen as your eyes fall on the fish lady leaning against the kitchen doorway. Her arms crossed over her chest, and her vibrant yellow eye giving Sans an annoyed look.

Wow, how did you miss her?

Pulling away from the doorway, she stands up straight and places her hands on her hips.

You try not to shrink as she towers over you and Sans.

You've seen her many times before, but you never took the time to just look at her.

_Holy Taquito! She's huge! She might even be taller than Papyrus!_

Her eyes narrowing, she begins to ask "Where the heck have you-" But immediately stops when her gaze lowers.

Right.

To.

You.

_...oh boy_

You fight the urge to duck into Sans jacket as the monster gives you a curious look.

"Hey!" She asks, her voice slightly gruff. "What's with the flower!?"

Before Sans has a chance to respond, she immediately adds.

"Don't tell me..." Her head snaps up and she gives the skeleton a look of disbelief. "DID YOU JUST LEAVE TO GO PICK FLOWERS!?!?"

"yup."

You bite back a laugh at Sans calm response.

Undyne grits her teeth, and holding out her hands she shouts in astonishment. "WHY?!?!?"

You can feel it, you know what's next.

It's inevitable.

"well, i was thinking about starting a flower shop, but then i realized...i hadn't _botany_."

_"Pfft!!"_

You sputter before you start laughing uncontrollably. You lower your head as you shake it.

_Wow, that's a good one._

When your laughter starts to subside, you raise your head.

You freeze when you meet Undyne's intense gaze.

She stares at you with a bewildered look.

You feel your core drop, you can feel the intensity radiate from her. It makes you nervous knowing it's directed at you.

"What the-!!" She exclaims.

Holding a hand out casually, Sans gestures between you and Undyne.

"fish lady, meet small fry. small fry, fish lady."

Undyne looks up at Sans before looking down at you again. She looks completely shocked and confused. Well, guess you would be too if you found out that flowers could talk.

You feel like you should say something, but you feel anxiety creep up on you as you try to come up with something.

"Umm..." You quickly scramble for a starting point.

What do you say to an incredibly fierce fish lady?

A fish joke?

.....

......

Probably a bad idea.

Eventually, you just strain a smile as you greet her. "H-hiya. Umm..it’s...it's Dandy actually. My name...I mean."

_Smooth._

You inwardly scold yourself. You're acting like she's gonna chop your head off or something!

Well, there is actually a chance that might happen...if she finds out what you've been doing all this time.

_Let's not think of that right now._

Undyne stares at you, still looking quite surprised. But after a moment, she simply replies. "Hey there. I'm Undyne."

She doesn't seem mad, and it actually makes you relax a little. You feel comfortable enough to offer her a kind smile. And she returns it... for a second...

But then it falls and she looks perplexed.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" She asks as she tilts her head.

You internally cringe.

_Oh no..._

Oh gosh, what do you say now?

"Umm...well-"

Before you can say anything else, she cuts you off.

"Wait a minute." She mumbles, her face getting closer to yours as she inspects you. You lean away from her, but Sans boney chest keeps you from going very far. 

You're trapped.

Undyne's eyes narrow for a second, before they go wide with realization. She frowns as she exclaims.

"You're that out of place golden flower that I've been seeing everywhere lately!"

Not knowing what else to say, you just let out a nervous chuckle.

"Heh heh"

_oh no oh no oh no._

Then, her face scrunches as she continues in a lower tone.

"And you look a lot like that one I've seen the human carrying around with them."

You feel your stomach leap into your throat, but you try to remain calm.

"Aaahh well....I...umm."

What do you say?!

_oh no! oh no! OH NO!_

"Wait a second!" She suddenly pokes a finger at you and exclaims angrily. "That was you, wasn't it!?"

You quickly pull yourself deeper into Sans' sweatshirt, just far enough so you barley peak over the edge of it.

She's onto you.

This can only go badly.

_Sans...help me!!_

Seeming to hear your internal plea, Sans speaks up.

"yeah. they've been helping the kid get through the underground."

At the top of her lungs, she shouts in pure fury "WHAT?!"

_"Eep!!"_

You let out a frightened little squeak as you duck into Sans hoodie. You burry yourself in the cotton walls, hiding in the darkness. You think you might be shaking, but you're so wrapped in your own thoughts you aren't really paying attention.

Inwardly, you curse at Sans. He's supposed to be you're friend! Not rat you out! And now you are as good as dead!

Dead dead dead dead de-

"OH, BROTHER!" A cheerful voice shouts, interrupting your frantic thoughts. "THE HUMAN SAID YOU HAD RETURNED! HAVE YOU FOUND THE TINY FLOWER!?"

"sure did, bro."

You hear the sound of movement, but not coming from Sans. After a moment, you hear Papyrus speak again. This time, sounding much closer.

"UMMM....BROTHER? WHERE ARE THEY?"

You don't do anything, you're still nervous. But, you're being ridiculous aren't you? You aren't in any real danger, after all. Undyne might be angry, but she's not going to hurt you.

...Ok...she might hurt you. But not _kill_ you.

You feel a little jostle, snapping you out of your thoughts.

Did, did someone just poke you?

"small fry." Sans says in a hush whisper. "that's your cue."

You still feel a bit uneasy, but you know you can't hide forever.

Taking a deep breath, you cautiously poke your head out of the hoodie.

You instantly relax when you come face to face with a large grinning skeleton.

"THERE YOU ARE!" He exclaims in relief. "I WAS SO WORRIED WHEN YOU WENT MISSING!! WHERE WERE YOU?!?"

You feel so happy to see him, but then you see the tall figure standing behind him. Your core drops when your eyes meet. Undyne's eye narrows as she glares at you intensely. You quickly advert your gaze, trying your best to ignore her for now.

Giving Papyrus a sheepish smile, you quietly mumble "Umm...I just.."

Honestly, you're not really sure what to tell him. But before you can say anything else, his eyes suddenly go big and he yells. "ARE THOSE CUTS ON YOUR PETALS!?"

You give a quick sideways glance at them. Turning back to Papyrus, you force a little smile.

"It's..it's nothing Paps-"

"IT IS TOO SOMETHING!" Standing up straight, he holds up a hand as he places the other on his hip. He puffs out his chest as his cape flutters in the nonexistent breeze. "YOU ARE ONE OF MY DEAREST FRIENDS!! AND I WOULD BE DEEPLY UPSET IF ANY MORE HARM WERE TO BEFALL YOU! YOU MUST BE TREATED IMMEDIATELY!!"

Without warning, Sans suddenly steps to the side and begins to walk straight into the kitchen. Over his shoulder, he states. "don't worry, bro. i'm on it."

You can't help but feel warm as you muse at how much of a sweetheart Papyrus is.

Those thoughts are instantly dashed away as your eyes catch Undyne's as you pass. You instantly tense as you turn away from the sight. As you approach the kitchen, you watch as Frisk comes dashing out of it, balancing 3 ginormous bowls of popcorn in their arms...and one on their head.

_Impressive._

You notice Sans' arm wave above his head out of the corner of your eye.

"why don't you get the movie ready. we won’t be long."

With that, he steps into the kitchen. For some reason, being in a different room causes you to feel instantly safe again. You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding.

Under your breath, you mutter to yourself. "Oh boy, that was scary."

Sans merely chuckles as he begins to head towards the fridge.

Remembering what he told Undyne, you turn and frown up at him. "Did you really have to tell her about me helping Frisk!?"

Sans shrugs. "eh. guess i didn't see the harm in it."

"Harm?!" You exclaim. "Did you see the look on her face!? She wants to kill me!"

As he reaches the large appliance, he pulls the door open. The blast of cold air makes you let out an involuntary shiver. You turn to watch as the small skeleton begins to dig inside, moving the jars of sauce out of the way.

"nah. that's just her normal face. 'sides, she would've found out eventually."

As Sans continues to search the fridge for something unknown, you try to come up with some sort of argument.

But...

Darn.

He's right, isn't he?

You let out a sigh.

"You're probably right. She was already putting the pieces together. But jeeze! Did she have to yell in my face about it! That was terrifying!"

"heh, and you were the one tellin’ the kid that she isn't _'that bad'_."

You think he's just teasing you, but he did have a point.

"I know." You admit in a defeated tone. "I mean, I'm sure she can be really nice, and that she probably wouldn't really hurt me...but.." You remember the way she was glaring at you, and you let out a little sigh. "I don't think she likes me very much."

You feel Sans shrug his shoulders, but he still continues his search of the fridge. "probably not, but who knows. she might warm up to ya eventually. she barley knows you after all."

"I guess." You mutter, knowing that at this point...it was still pretty unlikely. What has Undyne always said? That "some people just aren't meant to get along"? Which makes you a bit sad, to be honest. But you knew it was coming, Undyne is just so passionate and you're just...you. The fish monster puts her passion into everything she does. Fighting, cooking, playing piano. And the things you're enthusiastic about...you just-

_Wait...a fish and a piano.._

_...oh!_

You smile excitedly.

You just remembered the joke!

"Oh my gosh!"

You tilt your head up to look at the skeleton, grin big enough to match his own.

"Hey, Sans!"

"hmm?" He hums in questions, taking just a moment to glance at you. You hear the jars rattle together as he continues his search.

_What on earth is he even looking for? Oh well._

"What is the difference between a piano and a fish?"

Sans takes a minute to think, or at least pretend like he's thinking. But then he simply replies. "don't know."

You push down your giggle fit, and you start shaking with anticipation.

"You can tune a piano but you can't _tun-a_ fish!"

He pauses for a second. Then, he starts to chuckle. You giggle along with him as well.

He looks down at you long enough to give you a playful wink as he says "nice one."

You turn ahead just in time to see Sans’ hand grip a small aluminum can labeled "Iced Sea Tea."

 _OOhhhh_!

He stands up and closes the door to the fridge.

You can't help but feel a little embarrassed. After all, that joke was pretty terrible. Even by your standards. You feel your face heat up a bit as you begin to apologize.

"I'm so-" But you immediately stop. That's right, you shouldn't say that so much. Instantly, you try to correct yourself. "..I mean. Umm."

Thankfully, Sans speaks up before you can stumble over your words any longer.

"glad to see you're back to normal." He says as he turns away from the fridge.

You give him a curious look out of the corner of your eye. "Normal?"

The smile on his face seems a bit strained, and he doesn't meet your gaze. Instead, his focus is directly ahead as he begins to move forward.

"yeah. earlier you seemed kinda out of it." He says causally. His tone is lighthearted, but there's something about it...it doesn't sound genuine. But you're not sure why.

You turn away from him, and notice that he's heading for the counter.

So...he noticed something was off about you, huh?

That's probably why he seemed so tense earlier. 

You should probably reassure him.  Just tell him that you were fine and just tired.

I mean, right now he _kind of_ knows what's going on.

You've told him that sometimes you don't feel right, and that you're worried about your soul. But, you're not really sure what he'll do if he finds out that your emotions seem to be disappearing completely. 

_I just need to tell him I am ok._

When he reaches the counter and sets down the can, you take the opportunity to spin around. You look up at him with a huge grin and open your mouth.

But you don't have a chance to speak.

"you didn't smile."

You stop, and your smile immediately falls. His gaze is shifted elsewhere, eyes sockets half lidded in thought. His mouth is relaxed, his features slack.

For once, he isn't smiling. 

You're shocked, and you feel an aching feeling in your stem. 

He looks so tired.

Sans continues to speak, his voice barley above a whisper.

"not once. not even a little. you didn't laugh, you didn't cry. you didn't seem scared or angry. you just seemed...completely drained."

There’s a pause, neither of you say a word. After a moment, he faces forward, but he still doesn't make eye contact with you. His typical smile returns as he begins to fiddle with something on the counter. In a lighthearted tone, he says. "but i guess fighting a freaky flower will do that to ya, huh?"

You don't move for a second, or respond. You don't know what to do. So, you hesitantly turn back around to the counter. You watch Sans fiddle with the tab on the aluminum can.

He seems to be struggling to get his boney finger under it, but you're not really paying much attention. You're too focused on what had just happened.

_Sans..._

He seemed so...tired. Or sad. Or maybe worried? You're not really sure. Maybe it was a mix of all three. But whatever it was, it made you want to give him a hug.

A hissing sound snaps you out if your thoughts. Finally, he was able to get a finger hooked and pop open the can. After bending the tab back in place, he slides the can closer. 

"here, drink this."

You stare at the can for a moment, before muttering a thanks. As you grip the can with both your leaves, you try to lift it.

It doesn't go well.

You struggle with it. It seems to be pretty heavy for you. When you do manage to get it a little off the counter, it slips through your leaves and lands on it again. 

Seeming to notice your problem, Sans says. "oh right, wait a sec."

You release the can as Sans moves away. He reaches up and begins to rummage through a nearby cupboard, muttering to himself. "there's a straw in here somewhere."

You watch as he starts pulling out the cupboards contents and setting them one by one on the counter.

You lower your gaze as Sans continues his search, not really paying much attention.

Something in your core still aches and you can't stop thinking about what he said. 

Then, you make a decision.

You're going to tell him what happened. 

After all, you're supposed to be friends. 

And you think your friend might be worried about you.

_And...I'm worried too._

"Sans."

Your eyes shift and something bright catches them. You have to do a double take.

_What is...wait..._

"hmm?"

But you don't answer him. You just continue to stare wide eyed at the package.

_Is that?_

_No...it can't be.._

But you know it is.

You'd know that blue wrapping anywhere.

"you ok there?" Sans asks, his tone sounding a bit nervous.

"Sans..."

"yeah?"

"Sans!!!"

"dandy."

You begin to rapidly tap a leaf on his belly, like a child trying to get an adults attention.

"Sanssanssanssanssans!!!" 

You spin around and beam at Sans, who stares down at you with a mix of concern and confusion.

You point at the package as you exclaim in pure delight.

"Oreos!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up! I plan to get one more chapter out before taking a few weeks off. After that, then chapters will be back to being posted weekly.


	24. Mistakes Are Made

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: I want to inform everyone that (starting now) there will not be another chapter post until mid-August (at the earliest) Reason being is that I am planning on going back over the story to fix some grammar/spelling errors and to get things organized for the final stretch of the story. Cause guess what, we're (sorta) at the halfway point! And sometime in the next few chapters, things are going to pick up (not gonna say when).
> 
> (UPDATE 8/23: Chapter 25 will be posted 9/5) (9/3-Posting will be delayed)
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

You can't help but feel overjoyed! You glance away from Sans just get another look at the wonderful sight!

Sitting on the counter before you, surrounded by boxes of pasta noodles and whoopie cushions, is a full...unopened package of Oreos.

You can't believe it! How is it even possible?!

Where did it come from?!

How did it get here?!

And more importantly...why are they unopened?!

You quickly turn back to Sans, who looks just as perplexed as ever.

"Where did you get them!?" You exclaim before turning back to stare at the glorious package of delectableness. "Oh my gosh! I haven't had an Oreo cookie in...like.." You throw back your head as you dramatically cry. "for- _ever!"_

In the back of your mind, you scold yourself for being so dramatic.

But at this point, you don't care.

You have been trapped underground in the body of a flower for days now.

And seeing something so familiar and wonderful....

It's nothing short of a miracle.

You spin around to look up at Sans with hopeful eyes. "Can I have one?! PleasePleasePleasePlease!?"

You wait for Sans' response, but he doesn't say a word. The skeleton just continues to stare down at you, looking quite dumbfounded.

A few moments pass, and still nothing.

You feel your smile falter.

You're beginning to get worried, maybe you said something wrong?

You go over what you said in your head again, you feel like you're missing something.

Then, you begin to realize your mistake.

_Oh...wait...Oreos are-_

But a deep rumbling interrupts your thoughts. You can feel it as it pulses, and the sound only continues to grow louder.

And as it grows, you realize it's coming from Sans.

Your smile falls from your features as you look up at the skeleton in confusion.

What is that sound, it's almost like....

_Wait...is he...._

You watch as Sans covers his hands over his face and his shoulders begin to shake.

The sound grows even louder, and now it's unmistakable.

You feel so embarrassed.

Sans is laughing.

He’s laughing at you....

And he is laughing _hard._

The laughter echoes around the room, it's one of the hardest times you've heard him laugh.

You spin back around and sink deeper into his hoodie, wishing you could just disappear.

The blush you feel begins to spread across your entire face.

You feel so stupid.

Getting all worked up because of a freakin' cookie!

_They aren't even double stuffed!_

"heh heh heh. oh god." You hear Sans mutter between breaths, causing you to feel even more humiliated.

His laughter soon dies down. "buddy..." he wheezes between his chuckles. "you can't do that to me. my _heart_ can't take it."

You stop your internal scolding, confused by San's choice of words.

You look up at him out of the corner of your eye, watching as he wipes his eyes sockets with his sleeves.

"Do..do what?" You ask.

With a little laugh, Sans replies "act all serious and then...." He lets out a chuckle as he shakes his head.

Now you're really confused. Did you miss something?

Looking down at you, Sans gives you a wide smile. "i thought something was _wrong_ and you go and spring something like _that_ on me!" He explains before snickering.

You stare at Sans, still trying to process exactly what he was talking about. 

So...wait...he's not laughing at you?

Well, guess he technically _is_ but it seems to be for an entirely different reason than what you thought.

Sans lets out an enormous sigh as he wipes a hand over his face.

"seriously buddy, i enjoy a prank as much as the next guy. but you can't just..." Sans shakes his head again. "oh boy." You hear him mumble under his breath. Turning to you, finally back to his calm demeanor, he says with a humors grin. "you freaked me out for a second."

You give him a strange look as you ponder his words.

What exactly had you done to freak him out?

You were going to have a very serious talk with Sans, and then you saw the Oreos...

And you started trying to get his attention.

You were completely still and staring at the package and you started to call to Sans and-

"Oh..." You say as your blush creeps back on your face. You can see how that may have been a bit alarming, and you can't help but feel a bit guilty now. Not meeting his gaze, you begin to fiddle with the zipper in front of you."Sorry....I just..." You turn slightly to look up at him once more, and give him a sheepish smile as you say quietly. "I get really excited about Oreos."

Sans lets out a small chuckle.

"noted."

You smile cheerfully, happy that he doesn't seem to be upset with you. 

Honestly, it wasn't like you were trying to prank him. You just saw the Oreos and well..

Oh...right....

The Oreos are still there, completely unopened.

.....

You must fix this.

Giving a brief sideways glance at the package, you ask timidly. "So...can I?"

Sans chuckles again, seeming to understand your vague request.

"heh heh...sure, small fry."

You instantly brighten. You turn back around to watch as Sans pushes the can of sea tea aside and pulls the package of goodness closer to you. Beaming, you watch him pull back the top of the resalable container, revealing the rows and rows of the mouthwatering treat.

_Oh wow! They’re huge!_

Well, actually they're normal size. But in your current physical state, they seemed as big as a Frisbee....maybe bigger!

You can't strop smiling, and you also can't help but notice a strange, high pitch whining noise piercing through the air.

Oh wait...that's you.

Sans motions to the treats in front of you.

"knock yourself out."

You need no further invitation.

You lean over and reach for one of the cookies, all while muttering to yourself. "Oh boyohboyohboyohboy."

The counter is high enough for you to reach the cookies comfortably, but you still have to hang half way out of Sans sweatshirt to get a good hold of one. They're spaced apart so you can at least get your leaves around them, but you struggle to get one out to the package. It seems to be in there pretty tight, or maybe it's because you're so small now that it's just difficult for you.

You're not really sure.

As you begin to wiggle out the cookie, you hear Sans behind you say. "you sure seem to like 'em."

Finally, the cookie begins to loosen. And with a little, firm yank you free it from the package. 

Prize in hand, you settle back down into the comforts of Sans hoodie.

You tilt your head up until you’re face to face with the skeleton and exclaim. "You kiddin?! I love them! They're my _favorite!!"_ You emphasize the last word by hugging the cookie close, and you notice Sans smile tweak a bit wider.

Turning back to the treat in your leafy grip, you begin to ramble as you inspect it for forgery.

"They've got the crunchy cookie outside and soft sugary frosting inside! And they come in like, 30 something flavors! And there's sooo many different ways to eat them. You can pull them apart and eat one half at a time. You can open them up, lick out the frosting and stick them back together and eat them." You shrug as you fiddle with the cookie, trying to figure out the best way for you to hold it. "But I don't know, I think the best way is just to eat them as they are. I mean, if you separate the pieces, it's not really an Oreo anymore is it? It's just 2 cookies and frosting. Can't hardly call that an Oreo." You let out an amused laugh as you take a glance up at Sans, who just smiles back...but it looks a bit strange. You're not really sure why.

That's when you realize...

Oh gosh. You just did a huge rant about nothing but Oreos.

Well, now you feel silly.

You feel your face flush in embarrassment as you give Sans an uneasy smile.

"Oh...jeeze I'm ah... I'm rambling, aren't I?"

He shrugs "eh, forgeddaboudit."

You smile a bit wider at him, but you still can't help but feel a bit awkward.  "Well...umm..." Not knowing what else to say, you hold the cookie in front of you and say. "bone appetite." You go to take a bite before stopping to let out a little giggle. 

Wow, another unintentional pun.

Well done.

"Oh gosh..I'm so-" You cut yourself off, you were going to apologize again. That really is a habit for you, isn't it?

Giving Sans a little smile, you mutter. "I mean..umm..." You try to think of something else to say, but you can't think of anything. So instead, you quickly mutter "...nevermind."

And with that you turn back to your cookie and, finally, you take a bite.

It tastes wonderful, it's crunchy, it's sweet, it's....

Your chewing begins to slow as you try to pick out exactly what you're tasting.

Something...something isn't right.

You pause to look down at the cookie before you.

This is definitely an Oreo. You did an official inspection and there was nothing wrong with it.

It's not stale or gross or anything bad.

It tastes exactly like it should, but something just seems off.

But what?

Still pondering, you swallow.

Or at least, you try. But nothing happens.

Confused, you try again.

The food doesn't go anywhere.

You're really confused now, it feels like there's some sort of barrier preventing you from swallowing.

Like, the food just doesn't have anywhere to go.

You freeze...

Because you just remembered....

The only food you've eaten so far has been monster food. Monster food is made with magic, which is why the food dissolves when you swallow it.

This is human food...it's not made with magic.

You can't swallow it...

You're stuck.

"somethin wrong?"

You turn to Sans, who gives you a curious look. You feel panic rise in your core, this is bad. You can't tell Sans that you can't swallow! You just went on a whole rant about how good Oreo cookies are! Quickly, you reply with a mouth full of food. "Ohnono! It's-It's really 'ood!"

You lower you're gaze as try to come up with a way of out this.

You need to think of something...and quick!

There has got to be a way for this stuff to go down! Maybe you're just trying to swallow too much at once? It's a long shot, but you needed to try something.

Pushing the food into you're cheeks, you try to only swallow a little bit at a time. At first, it seems like nothing is going to happen. But then, the food begins to disappear and dissolve very slowly.

Almost as if there was some sort of magic in them, if only a little.

But, that's impossible! Humans don't have magic!

_And it's certainly not in our food!_

You decide not to think too much about it. After all, you still don't know how a flower could have a mouth in the first place.

_Best just leave it at that._

As you continue to swallow, you smile up at your friend. He continues to smile back, but something about his gaze makes you a little uneasy. Which is weird since you haven't felt uneasy around him in quite a while. You're not sure what to think of it, maybe you're just uneasy because neither of you are saying anything.

Yeah, that's got to be it.

Swallowing the last bit of cookie, you casually ask. "So, where did you get these anyways?"

You notice Sans flinch slightly, like he was snapped out of his own thoughts. But he quickly recovers, the moment so brief that you could've easily missed it.

Turning away from the cupboard, he leans against it as he replies with a shrug.

"eh, not sure. papyrus brought 'em back a few days ago, said he found 'em."

Surprised, you immediately blurt out. "Really?! Unopened and everything?!"

"yup." He simply says. You huff as you feel irritation rise in you. Looking away, you mutter under your breath. "For the love of-" But instead of finishing, you turn back to Sans and exclaim. "Honestly! Who the heck throws away a perfectly good package of Oreos?!?!"

 "humans."

You were never expecting an answer, especially one so simple. Surprised, you turn and look up at Sans.

"....huh?"

Sans continues to smile down at you, but something about it feels off. Sans is always smiling, but this one just seems different. Like, it's more forced than usual. You watch his eye brow bone raise in question, and after a brief pause he says.

"it's human food, right? so...it belonged to a human once, and they either lost it or threw it in the trash."

Your stomach drops and you feel uneasy again.

You try to give your friend a cheerful grin, but it feels a bit strained. "Yeah...r-right."

You can't help but look away from Sans' questioning gaze.

This isn't' good. You know what's coming next. He's going to question you. He's going to ask you how you know what Oreos are! Earlier you implied that you've been shut in the Ruins for most of your life! How on earth would you ever get a chance to eat an Oreo?! Cause let's face it, people don't hike up a freaky mountain with a full package of Oreos and fall into a massive hole every day!

Oh boy, you made a huge mistake!

San's can't know that you're human. Too many other questions will follow, ones that you're not sure how to answer.

Ones you don't _want_ to answer!

So, in desperation you do the only thing you can think of.

You shove the rest of the Oreo your mouth.

You hear a chuckle, and you turn to look up at Sans. His smile is a bit lopsided, in an amused sort of way.

But the uneasiness from before is gone, much to your relief.

The skeleton continues to smile down at you as he says. "careful there. human food doesn't go down as easily."

You open your mouth to tell him that you're fine.

But when you take a breath, a few crumbs go flying into the back of your throat.

Immediately, you turn away and start coughing uncontrollably.

You cover your mouth to try to keep your food from flying everywhere, meanwhile your body does it's best to clear your airway.

Seriously?! How can this even happen?! You don't have lungs!!!

Behind you Sans shifts, but you're too distracted to pay attention to what he's doing.

Your eyes begin to water as you continue coughing. Something suddenly appears before you, and it takes a moment to realize what it is.

It looks like a straw, a rather _large_ straw.

"here." Sans offers as he holds the drink for you.

Without hesitation, you hastily grab the straw and pull it towards you. As you take a sip, the magic from the drink seems to instantly dissolve the remaining food in your mouth.

The drink helps, but you're throat still tickles. You pull away from the straw as you cough a few more times. You hear the sound of metal clunking, and notice that Sans had set down the can. Sans boney fingers hover over you, like he wants to do something more to help but doesn't know what.

After a second, the intense tickling in the back of your throat subsides.

However, it still feels uncomfortable.

"h-hey you ok?" Sans asks, sounding very concerned.

"Yeah." You wheeze as you let out a little cough. "Just...just _dandy_."

You take your leaves and begin to wipe the corner of your eyes.

But then you freeze.

Why you had chosen that particular phrase over any other, you're not quite sure.

But your mind has finally registered exactly what you had said. 

You slowly raise your head as you stare blankly in front of you.

_Oh...my...god..._

A snort erupts, but not from you. Quickly, you spin around to look into Sans’ face. His grin is wide, his eyes crinkled from the sheer size of his smile. "you..." Sans begins, his voice sounding strained.

He doesn't get the chance to finish.

 _"Pfft!"_  

The sound is out of your mouth before you can even try to stop it. That little sound is enough to send both you and Sans into a fit of laughter.

Wow! When you picked this name, you didn't even realize!

_Holy Shitake Mushrooms! My name can be used as a pun!_

You're laughing so hard, you can't even hold yourself up anymore.

You drape yourself over the front of Sans’ hoodie, clutching the fabric close to your stem as you howl with laughter.

Sans doesn't seem to be in much better shape as you feel him lean into the counter for support.

How long you continue like this, you're not even sure. The passage of time is lost on you.

The laughter is so boisterous you can’t even hear your own thoughts.

So, it's a surprise you're able to hear a voice call "BROTHER! ARE YOU-OH!"

After a moment, you’re finally able to force your laughter down into a giggle.

As you begin to calm down, you lift your head.

Standing in the nearby doorway, looking a bit surprised, is Papyrus.

For a second, he just stands there without saying a word.

Sans seems to notice his brother's presence as well, and his laughter subsided into a chuckle.

Papyrus' eyes seem to be fixated on his brother, and after a brief moment... he just smiles.

It's not his usual super happy, excited smile.

It's soft, gentle, and heartwarming.

Sans' chuckle dies down as you feel him give a confused shrug.

"wha?" He asks, which seems to snap his brother out of his current state.

"NOTHING!!" Papyrus exclaims, excited smile immediately returning. "WE ARE ABOUT TO START THE MOVIE!!"

Sans leans away from the counter as he replies "alright bro, we're coming."

As the short skeleton turns to gather you're drink, an idea pops into your head.

_Oh jeeze! I have to!_

You tap on Sans sweatshirt as you whisper excitedly. "Waitwaitwait!"

Sans stops what he's doing and you take the moment to turn to Papyrus once more.

The tall skeleton is already on his way out of the room when you call to him.

"Hey, Paps!" Papyrus stops and peaks into the door way once more. A sly smile graces your lips. "Ask me how I'm doing."

Glancing back at Sans, the two of you exchange a knowing look. Papyrus looks rather confused as he replies. "UMM...OK...HOW ARE YOU, TINY FLOWER?"

Your body is shaking from the pent up excitement.

_This is gonna be good!_

In an exaggerated matter, you reply enthusiastically.

"Why, I'm just _Dandy_."

You bite your lip in anticipation, anxious to see what his reaction will be.

Papyrus cocks his head to the side, still seeming to be confused.

"ERR...YES THAT IS YOUR NAME. BUT THAT'S NOT REALLY WHAT I HAD ASKED-WAIT...."

Papyrus looks away as he thinks for a second, then he turns back to you with a startled expression.

"THAT WAS A PUN! WASN'T IT!?!?"

With that, you and Sans burst into another fit of laughter.

Oh boy, you got him! You got him good!

_Papyrus!! You're expression was priceless!!_

After a few moments, you begin to recover.

You wipe the corner of your eyes as you once again raise your head. As you look up, your eyes fall on Papyrus...who is trying to look annoyed.

But actually...he's smiling.

You can't help but feel warmth spread through you.

He just might secretly like your puns as well.

In an irritated tone, Papyrus yells. "I AM NEVER LEAVING THE TWO OF YOU ALONE TOGETHER AGAIN!"

You and Sans glance at each other, and you can't help but snicker quietly to yourself.

As Sans turns and grabs your beverage off the counter, you hear Papyrus continue. "ALL YOU DO IS COME UP WITH MORE TERRIBLE PUNS!!"

The two of you turn around and Sans starts heading towards the doorway. "INCLUDING THIS ONE, IT'S JUST PLAIN AWFUL!!"

As Sans passes his brother, he quietly tells him "you're smiling, bro."

You giggle to yourself as Sans continues into the living room.

All the while you hear Papyrus shout behind you.

"I'M NOT SMILING! I AM FROWNING UPSIDE DOWN!!!!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank everyone who has been supporting this story. And OMG 575 KUDOS!?!?! Thank you guys so much! I hope everyone will enjoy the last half of the story as much as you did the first! Again, THANK YOU!!! :DDD


	25. Movie Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is an Optional chapter and will not effect the main story plot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back folks! Sorry it took so long, editing and such took longer than expected...that and well...*cough cough*other distractions*cough*. 
> 
> But I am kicking off the 2nd half of the story with an optional chapter. Reason being, I am rusty and I want to get a chapter out that doesn't effect the main plot. Plus, this is one of the chapters I've been looking forward to for a very long time (though actually writing it was a pain.) 
> 
> However, after this chapter...the plot will be back..and it's going to pick up...a lot. And oh boy, I am excited for it.
> 
> (Also, if Undyne seems OOC...I'm sorry.)  
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

“This is ridiculous!” Undyne’s voice booms.

Startled, you jump and peek around the plush blue mass sitting beside you. You watch as Undyne wiggles uncomfortably on the fluffy green armrest, all the while glaring at the screen before her.

When the movie had started, Papyrus and Undyne had argued about who would be sitting on the couch…but not in the way you’d think. Papyrus thought that all the guests should have the couch, where Undyne was insistent on NOT sitting on it. Something about it being too lumpy and would rather sit on the floor? Eventually, with Frisk's help, they reached a compromise and well…that’s how Undyne ended up on her perch. She didn’t seem to mind it too much, but she still seemed to be a bit uncomfortable from time to time.

That, and a couple of times Papyrus had almost knocked her off with his enthusiastic outbursts.

Frisk, who was sitting on the other side of Papyrus, was lucky. The kid was small enough to avoid the skeleton’s flailing arm movements as well as to sit comfortably between Papyrus and his brother. And that just left you, sitting contentedly in your pale that was wedged between Sans and the opposing armrest.

Earlier, Frisk had taken the liberty of fetching the bucket for you from behind the brothers' cottage. Which, you were thankful for. As fun as riding around in Sans jacket had become, you didn't want to overstay your welcome. That, and the zipper was starting to chafe your leaves. So, now here you sit with your can of sea tea lodged in the couch beside you.

You're quite pleased with your location. After all, you’re the farthest away from Undyne as possible.

Undyne throws her arms out towards the screen as she turns to the skeleton sitting beside her.

“Why don’t they just get to the good stuff already?!” She exclaims.

“UNDYNE, THIS IS A VERY CRUCIAL PART OF THE MOVIE!” Papyrus holds up his index finger as he continues to explain. “IN ALL STORY TELLING, THERE MUST BE TIME FOR THE PROTAGONIST TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE OTHER KEY CHARACTERS. OTHERWISE WHEN THEY REACH THE CLIMAX, THE IMPACT IT WILL HAVE WILL NOT BE AS SIGNIFICANT!”

Undyne looks at Papyrus in disbelief before she yells. “They’ve spent the last 10 minutes just talking about how great Mettaton is!”

Papyrus’ just smiles widely as he replies. “THAT’S BECAUSE HE IS VERY GREAT!”

Undyne huffs and rolls her eye and she turns back to the TV.

“Whatever! Everybody knows that they just add these scenes to stall for time! Or just to distract the –“

Papyrus holds up a finger to his lips.

“SHH! THIS IS THE BEST PART!!”

The fish monster pulls a face as she turns back to Papyrus.

“You’ve said that a hundred times already!”

Papyrus merely beams.

“YES, THAT’S BECAUSE THIS MOVIE IS ONLY COMPOSED OF THE VERY BEST PARTS!”

Undyne looks both shocked and disgusted. “Wha-“

“SHH!” Papyrus shushes, before focusing once more on the screen before him, cuddling his bowl of popcorn excitedly.

Undyne crosses her arms as she turns back to the screen in front of her, a look of annoyance on her face. You bite your lip to suppress your laughter and quickly duck back behind Sans before she notices you.

She really hasn't said much to you since your encounter with her earlier. But she has shot you a glare every moment she could. Guess she still doesn't really like you, huh?

You shake your head as you turn back to the movie, but you’re completely lost. You haven’t really been paying much attention to it at all, have you?

It’s not that it was a bad movie...well...ok it was bad. But the main reason is that you keep getting distracted by your own thoughts. They keep traveling back to everything that’s happened so far. From waking up in the Underground with no real knowledge of how you got here, to losing your emotions when you were traveling back with Sans from Hotland.

You glance up at the skeleton, his eye sockets are closed and his head is lulled forward. At first, Sans had stayed awake and the two of you exchanged a few jokes during the movie. But about halfway through it, he had fallen asleep. You watch the steady rise and fall of his chest as you think back on what had happened before.

You remember you were going to tell him. Tell him about your emotions disappearing, about your worries…but then you blew it and you haven’t managed to talk to him since.

You realize you’re still watching him and decide to turn away before something awkward happened, like…he wakes up.

Your gaze returns to screen before you, and you watch as the lights and colors flicker across it. But you’re not really focused on it as your mind continues to wander.

You know you should try to tell him, but...you can't now. Not with everyone here. Sure, you could probably ask him to have a private word...but...every time you try the words seem to get stuck in your throat. He just seems so content and happy. You don’t want to worry him again.

Maybe you’re just making excuses.

After all, you are a bit worried about what is reaction will be.

But you have to trust him, right?

You lower your gaze.

_Later…I’ll talk to him later._

A crunching sound grabs your attention and you peek around Sans. Your eyes fall on the kid sitting beside Papyrus, who is contently watching the movie as their hand digs into the bowl of popcorn… one of many.

The bowls Frisk had brought out earlier had just been the tip of the iceberg. Little did you know that Papyrus had already brought out fourteen other bowls before Frisk had, which are now scattered everywhere around you.

_19 bowls of popcorn…_

You can’t help but smile, how on earth are all of you going to eat all of this?

A bowl of popcorn enters your line of sight, snapping you out if your thoughts. Frisk smiles kindly as they hold the bowl out to you.

Oh, you suppose you were staring, huh? Well…the popcorn is really good. And you really can’t reach the other bowls right now, not without Sans help. Might as well take some while you can get it, right?

Smiling, you mutter a thanks before you reach out to grab some, but you just can’t make it.

You grit your teeth as you try to stretch farther while muttering. "I don’t think...I can…get it."

It’s no use, you can touch the bowl but you can't stretch far enough to reach into it. You relax as you sit back up, letting out a sigh of disappointment. Frisk frowns, pulling the bowl away and looking rather saddened as well. “Umm…” You hum in thought. It’s then that you get an idea.

You smile as you whisper. "Oh hey! Just…toss me some!”

To illustrate your point, you open your mouth and stick out your tongue.

The kid smiles and picks out a kernel. They hold it up and aim carefully. Then, they toss it to you and you move to catch it. However, you end up missing terribly as you feel the kernel bounce off your forehead.

Frisk giggles as the piece falls to somewhere unknown. You laugh silently as you take a leaf and dust the salt off your forehead. Turning back to Frisk, you open your mouth and the two of you try again. They toss it, you move but veers too far to the left. They toss another one, but it’s too low and you can’t quite get it.

_Jeeze! I can dodge friendliness pellets like nobody’s business but I can’t catch a piece of flippin popcorn!?_

Finally, after a couple more tries, you manage to catch one. You throw your leaves into the air in triumph. Frisk giggles as they dig into their popcorn once more.

"What are you two dweebs doing?" A voice asks suspiciously.

You jump and spy Undyne glaring over Frisk’s shoulder. It makes you shrink in embarrassment. Frisk leans back and turns to face her, giving you a full view of Undyne’s intense stare. Darn, of all people…why did _she_ have to catch you acting so weird? You can’t help but feel pinned by her gaze, making you rather nervous. You gulp down the kernel before you reply quietly.

"Oh...umm...just...." But you don’t have a chance to explain yourself as Papyrus suddenly pops into view, his giant skull completely blocking out Undyne. With a large grin, he excitedly exclaims.

"WOWIE! I DIDN’T KNOW YOU TWO WERE TRAINING PARTNERS! AND SUCH ADVANCED TECHNIQUES!! LET ME TRY!” You watch with curiosity as he returns to his previous position and digs into his bowl. From here you can see Undyne giving Papyrus a confused look, but he pays her no mind. The skeleton seems so enthused, you can’t help but smile as you relax a bit. As he pulls out a kernel, he tosses it into the air.

Opening his mouth wide, he manages to catch it…although…

"AHH!” He screams as the kernel falls into his eyes socket, he leans forward and grips the hole in pain. Your stomach lurches, a feeling of dread washes over you.

_Oh god! Is he ok?!_

Undyne looks on with concern and you can’t help but feel worried.

“MY EYE!” Papyrus yells, but then he suddenly stops and lowers his hands. “OH-WAIT…”

After a few seconds, you watch as he starts to chew.

Smiling, he states happily. “I’M BETTER NOW!”

Undyne’s face falls and she gives the skeleton an unamused look, you quickly stifle your laughter as the kid besides you giggles.

Way to be overly dramatic, Paps.

_Well, at least he wasn’t hurt._

“WELL…THAT IS DEFFINITLY CHALLENGING!” Papyrus states and you watch as Undyne gives him a smug grin.

"You kidding? That's easy! Watch this!"

Undyne reaches into Paps’ bowl and pulls out a handful of morsels. Then, she wraps that arm around her back. With her arm behind her, she tosses a kernel into the air. She opens her mouth to catch it, but it veers way off target. She growls as she tries again, but with similar results.

You can’t help but smile in humor as she begins to grow more and more frustrated.

“ERR…I DON’T THINK THAT-” Papyrus is cut off as Undyne holds out her other hand to silence him.

“Hang on! I almost got it!”

Undyne tries a few more times, but eventually she just huffs as she crosses her arms in front of her.

“Grr! That’s-“ Undyne begins before growling and looking away. “I usually do better!” She shouts.

You think there might be a dark tinge to her cheeks, but from your angle it’s hard to tell. Honestly, Undyne did bring it on herself. But you can’t help but feel bad for her.

You notice Frisk look away for a second, seeming to ponder something, before they dig into their bowl and pull out another popcorn piece. Holding it up to the fish monster, they mutter quietly.

“…open.”

Undyne turns and looks over her shoulder at the kid.

“What’s that punk?”

Frisk waves the kernel in a throwing motion, causing a sideways smile to appear on her face.

“Good idea! It’s waaayyy cooler to have someone throw it at you!”

Undyne turns so she's facing the kid before grinning widely.

“Alright, squirt. Give me your best shot.” She states as she opens her mouth wide, leaning slightly forward on her seat.

Frisk throws the popcorn, but it doesn’t have enough power to quiet make it to Undyne. Undyne watches the kernel fall into Papyrus’ lap, then gives the kid a clever smirk.

“Really?! Come on! You can do better than that!”

The kid tries again, but it still can’t make it. Undyne tries to lower herself further, but she can only go so far. It helps, but try as the kid might they can’t make it in.

“YOU’RE DOING GREAT HUMAN! DON’T GIVE UP!!" Papyrus encourages. You can’t help but smile as the kid’s expression is replaced by a look of pure determination. They throw the kernel again, it still isn’t enough power.

"Come on, punk! Really put your arm into it!" Undyne cheers.

Frisk looks back down at their bowl with a huff, seeming disappointed. They look over to you, as if silently seeking advice. You think for a moment then…you smile cleverly.

You know of one way to reach Undyne, but she may not like it.

Then again…this was Undyne…she likes japes, right?

With the kid’s attention, you glance at the bowl of popcorn on their lap before nodding in Undyne’s direction. The kid thinks for a second, but then the smile grows on their face. In a flash, they pick up their whole bowl of popcorn and swing, launching its contents straight at Undyne. “AH!” Startled, Undyne reels backwards and falls off the armrest.

All is still for a moment as everyone processes exactly what just happened.

Wow, you knew she would be surprised…but didn’t really think she’d..you know… _fall!_

Papyrus leans over to check on her, but reels back when she suddenly pops. She seems a bit taken aback, though not upset. You watch as the popcorn falls off her head and tumbles onto the sofa.

She blinks.

You bite your lip as you fight back the eruption of laughter, your form shaking slightly.

Frisk bursts into a fit of giggles as they hunch over their now empty bowl, their shoulders shaking with delight. You glance up at Undyne and watch a sly grin grace her lips as she stares down at Frisk.

“You think that’s funny, punk!?” She exclaims, causing Frisk to look up. You and the kid watch as the fish monster suddenly stands, hoisting a huge bowl of popcorn into the air as she does so.

Frisk’s eyes grow wide, but they don’t move. Undyne continues to smirk dangerously down at them, and you know what’s about to happen next. You lean over with an amused smile as you whisper to Frisk. “I think that’s your cue to run.”

Immediately, Frisk abandons their bowl and hastily jumps off the couch.

“Get back here you little-“ The fish monster threatens with a huge toothy grin.

Frisk runs as Undyne begins to chase them around the room. You begin to giggle, but stop when Papyrus suddenly stands up as well.

“NOT TO WORRY HUMAN! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS COMING TO ASSIST!” You watch as Papyrus picks up two bowls and runs after the other two.

Undyne spins around and lowers her bowl, grinning widely as she does so.

“Like hell you are!” She shouts as she takes the bowl of popcorn and launches it at Papyrus. The skeleton dodges and throws one of his bowls at the fish monster. Undyne must’ve kicked the remote, because the TV screen suddenly turns off. Though, no one really seems to notice but you.

_Guess this is more exciting than any ol’ movie._

Nearby, you watch as Frisk finds another bowl of popcorn and hurriedly runs to join the fray. They begin to run around frantically, throwing popcorn and dodging behind furniture as they pose dramatically here and there.

You cover your leaves with your mouth as you snicker quietly, trying not to draw any unwanted attention. You were, after all, vulnerable to a popcorn attack. It’s not like you can really dodge anything in your current position.

But it’s hard to keep the laughter from bubbling up, and a few chuckles escaping now and then as your form continues to shake. The whole scene is just hilarious, like something out of a cartoon.

However, as you think about it, you can’t help feel that something was missing.

You hear a yawn beside you. Looking over, you watch as Sans stretches. Then, upon opening his eyes, he suddenly stops.

“huh? uhhhh-“ His arms lower as he analyzes the scene before him, looking a bit confused.

You chuckle and shake your head. He looks down at you, not saying a word but asking a single silent question.

_“what the hell did i miss?”_

You offer an innocent shrug before turning back to the chase scene before you.

Then, as you watch Undyne pick up another bowl off the floor, you realize what’s missing.

Without the TV, there was no backround noise. No talking, no sound effects, and no music.

And what’s a good chase scene without epic chase music?

Smiling, you give Sans a little nudge to get his attention. As he turns to look down at you, you give him a knowing smile.

Then, turning back to the trio running around the room, you hold up your leaves to your mouth. Quickly you think of a tune, something that’s fun and fast.

Then, you begin to play.

Honestly, you don’t really remember where the tune came from. All you know is that it was from a different video game, one that you haven’t played for a long time. But it’s just one of those tunes that got stuck in your head and are hard to forget.

As you play, you notice all three of the participants stop. They look at you, with either a look of confusion or delight…depending on the person. You feel yourself shrink down for a fraction of a second, suddenly feeling embarrassed by all the attention.

You’ve never had this many people just…staring at you before.

However, before you decide to just stop playing, Frisk tosses a handful of popcorn at Undyne.

And thus the shenanigans continue.

You smile from behind your leaves and hear a deep rumble of laughter come from your side. You glance over to see Sans, doubled over in laughter. You can’t help but feel proud, happy that your silly little idea was well accepted.

The chase continues for a while longer, but soon the participants run out of ammo.

All the popcorn bowls lay scattered across the room, empty of their contents.

All…except one.

Undyne manages to catch up to Frisk and she wraps an arm around their middle to pin them in place. “HA!! Gotcha, punk!!” Undyne shouts and with the other hand, she shoves the bowl of popcorn on the kid’s head. “Eat THIS!”

Frisk merely laughs as the popcorn falls over them. With the last bowl gone, you lower your leaves as you burst into a fit of laughter. The three of them look ridiculous, covered head to toe with popcorn. Some stuck in the strangest places.

“Cheese and Rice,” You exclaim through your laughter. “That was hilarious!”

Frisk looks up, pulling the bowl off their head. When their eyes fall on you, they smile and bite their lip. You watch as a hand comes up and quickly covers their mouth as they stare at you.

You’re laughter quickly subsides.

_Why are they…?_

You have a feeling that you’re missing something.

_Wait…_

Quickly, you count the bowls.

_Oh…_

One is missing.

_Oh no…_

It’s then that you notice the shadow looming over you.

“geeeeettt-”

You quickly look up, only to see a dome shaped object hovering above.

Oh…there it is.

“-dunked on!”

_“Ack!”_

You quickly duck and shut your eyes as you feel the bowl swallow you, completely covering your form. The bowl gets smushed onto your head, and you feel the kernels lodge themselves in your petals. For a moment, all is still. Then, you hear deep chuckle and the weight of the bowl lifts slightly.

A childish laughter rings out followed by a laugh that sounds a little like “Nyeh heh heh!”

You snicker as you tip the bowl back and look up at Sans, who’s smiling widely.

“Hehe, you got me good.” You say before tossing the bowl off you and straightening yourself. You look down at yourself, your covered in pieces of popcorn. You shake your head, trying to shake the kernels out of your petals. When you‘re done, you lift your gaze. Only a second later are you face to face with a smiling skull, one that did not know the meaning of personal space.

“TINY FLOWER! THAT MUSIC WAS AMAZING!” Papyrus exclaims, and you try not to cringe as he yells in your face. Behind him, you hear a quiet murmur.

“It wasn’t that great.”

Papyrus moves to look behind him, allowing you to see the owner of the voice standing with her arms crossed, refusing to look in your direction. You can’t help but feel yourself shrink slightly as you rub your leaves together timidly.

Well, there goes your good mood. You really can’t win with Undyne, huh? You thought she would like your music since she seemed to be interested in it as well. But…

“really?” Sans asks. “cause i thought it was pretty good.”

You straighten up.

_He…really? He liked it?_

Looking up at Sans, you watch as he gives you a kind smile.

Then, it suddenly turns sly.

“ya know, for not being a vegetable…you can really keep a _beet._ ”

_“Pfft!”_

“SANS!!”

You turn away as you snicker, quickly covering your mouth with your leaves. Nearby, you hear the kid snicker as well.

Then, you hear clapping.

You look up and see that the kid had taken the place of Papyrus, their face directly in front of you….though keeping out of your personal bubble. They continue to applaude your performance and you feel your blush spread.

You really aren’t use to all this praise, huh?

Smiling shyly you say. “Aww, thanks guys.”

The kid stops clapping and in an excited but quiet voice, they ask you.

“…can you do it again?”

You freeze, your smile instantly falls.

Your eyes dart around, taking note of all the other eyes on you. Papyrus looks hopefully over Frisk’s shoulder as Undyne glares down at you suspiciously. You take a hesitant glance over at Sans, who just peeks down at you out of the corner of his eye.

“You mean…” You begin, but stop as you turn back to the child before you.

You can’t…

Not with everyone… _watching_ you.

It’s just...

It’s too never racking!

Quietly, you mutter. “Kid, maybe not right-“ You stop when you notice the kid’s smile slowly slip away, replaced by a look that could only be described as “disappointment.”

How are you supposed to say no to that?

With a little sigh, you smile and tell them. “Ok ok, what do you wanna hear?”

The kid beams as they think for a second, then…they shrug.

You let out a little chuckle.

“Anything? Alright umm…”

You think for a moment, what is a song that you haven’t really played yet? Something that’s fun and upbeat. Maybe something that isn’t too terribly hard to play.

Ah, you know.

Holding your leaves up, you think of how it’s supposed to go. You pause for a second, trying to ignore everyone watching you. You close your eyes just to try to forget about it.

Then, you begin to play.

Now that you’ve started, you open your eyes again. The kid giggles as they grin widely and Papyrus smiles excitedly over their shoulder.

However, Undyne just rolls her eye and looks away.

You feel your heart sink a little at this, but try to ignore it.

Instead you try to focus on the two sitting in front of you, seeming to greatly enjoy your little performance.

A few notes in, you hear a strange noise.

Like a door opening, and it seems like everyone else heard it too.

You watch as everyone’s attention turns to the door, a look of bewilderment and confusion on their faces.

You soon follow their gaze and stop.

_What the…_

The front door’s open, and trotting in is a tiny white dog.

Surprised, you stop playing.

The dog stops abruptly.

Nobody moves.

You’re…you’re not really sure what’s going on.

Why did the dog just stop?

It was going until…

_Wait…_

You look down at your leaves.

The song you were playing….

It was “Dogsong.”

_No way…did I?_

Well, only one way to find out.

Hesitantly, you place your leaves next to your mouth again and continue to play the melody.

The dog begins to trot in again.

You stop.

The dog stops.

You start again.

The dog starts trotting again.

_Huh…how about that._

Curious, you keep playing.

The dog is completely in the room now, and it begins trotting in place.

After a second, it opens its mouth wide. Like a vacuum, it sucks all of the popcorn out of the room. It only takes a second before it’s done. Then, it closes its mouth and begins to trot into the kitchen.

You’re not really sure where it’s going, but you continue to play none the less.

After a moment, they emerge with a bone and trot across the room again.

The dog exits the house as you end the song.

All is silent for a moment as you lower your leaves and try to process exactly what had just happened.

You just…you just summoned the annoying dog.

_How did?_

_Just.._

_How???_

Then, a frustrated scream interrupts your thoughts.

“AAAGGGHH!!” The skeleton wails “YOU STUPID DOG!!” Papyrus suddenly takes off towards the door. “COME BACK HERE!! THAT’S MY SPECIAL ATTACK!!” The frantic skeleton quickly runs out the front door, his frustrated screams echoing in the distance.

Once again, all is silent.

Then you hear it, a giggle.

But this one isn’t yours…or Frisk's…or Sans’…

You look up at the fish monsters, and her had is covering her mouth… suppressing a smile. But she doesn’t hold it for very long, and soon is rolling on the floor laughing.

You look up at Frisk, and then turn to Sans.

They look at you blankly.

Then…

 _“Pffftttt!!!”_ You sputter before everyone bursts into a laughing fit. You clutch your sides tightly.

After a few minutes, the laughter finally subsides. Undyne sits up from the floor and wipes a tear from her eye.

“Holy crap, that was good.” Looking over at you, she gives you a toothy grin. You freeze, because it’s actually quite a terrifying smile.

“Heh, not bad for a little twig.” She states.

After a second, you realize.

She…just complimented you.

Kinda…

Sorta?

You think anyways.

Huh, maybe she is staring to warm up to you after all...if only a little.

After a moment, you smile back.

Eh, at this rate...you'll take what you can get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I forget, the schedule for chapter posts are not determined yet. I am going to try to post once a week, but since we are coming to the more intense chapters they may take longer to write. If you want updates on chapters, check out my tumblr. I normally post chapter announcements and delays there. (though I try to post here in the notes as well) Thank You Everyone for your Patience!
> 
> (UPDATE 9/18: Chapter 26 will be posted on Friday the 23rd. )


	26. It's All Just a Bad Dream...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Bad Time Ahead
> 
> .....
> 
> *pushes chapter towards reader.*
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

_You lean against the counter, propping your head in hands. Rubbing your eyes tiredly, you let out a sigh._

_You can't help but feel just plain exhausted._

_This feeling has been dragging on for days now. You’re just physically, mentally, and emotionally drained. Like there just wasn’t anything left. Nothing but this indescribable urge to…_

_You run your hands over your face before you just stop and sit there._

_The feeling continues to plague you as you bury your face in your hands._

_This was stupid. This shouldn’t be bugging you so much._

_You should just leave it alone._

_Forget about it and move on._

_At least, that’s what you’ve been telling yourself for the past 3 days now._

_But try as you might, you just can’t._

_No matter how much you try, you keep coming back to it._

_It’s so stupid._

**_It's just a game._ **

_The beep of the microwave causes you to jump. You peel yourself away from the counter as you wander over to the device. You drag your feet across the linoleum tiles, your colorful socks sliding easily over the surface. You retrieve your mug from the small appliance and pour a bag of instant soup into it._

_Turning around, you lean back against the counter as you continue to stir in the mixture. As you hold the cup in front of you, you watch its contents swirl around in an almost hypnotic manner._

_What are you going to do with yourself?_

_Getting all worked up over a silly little video game…_

**_What am I? A five year old?!_ **

_But even as you tell yourself this, the feeling still doesn’t go away._

_The urge is still there._

_What does it even want?_

_You can’t help but glance over your shoulder._

_Your eyes instantly fall on your computer sitting quietly in the corner, the orange power light pulses dimly on the monitor._

_You hadn’t even bothered to turn it off that night, had you? No, you suppose not._

_You quickly turn away from it._

_You place the spoon in the sink before contently taking a sip out of the mug. It’s almost scalding, but not hot enough to be undrinkable._

**_…_ **

_So, what now?_

_It’s the weekend. You should be enjoying yourself._

_Watch a movie._

_Or…_

_…_

_You can’t really think of anything else, can you?_

_You tap your fingernail anxiously on the ceramic mug before taking another hesitant glance over your shoulder._

_The desktop monitor continues to stare blankly back at you._

_You sigh._

_You turn back around and gaze wearily into your soup._

_This feeling isn’t going to go away, is it? And if that’s the case, you will probably have another restless night. Fidgeting constantly, cautiously peaking over at the computer, unable to sleep._

_Even if you left the apartment, you still wouldn’t be at ease. This feeling wouldn’t leave you, and your mind would continue to come back to the game…_

_To the words Sans had said…_

_…_

_Why do they affect you so much? He’s a fictional character, living out a fictional life, in a fictional universe. He isn’t real! None of it is real!_

_You’ve been over this countless times._

_But…_

_You let out a dry chuckle._

_There really is nothing you can do about it, is there? This urge you have, it’s not going to go away by itself. You don’t really know what it expects from you, but you know where it wants you to start._

_You lean away from the counter as you begin to shuffle your way around it. You grab the package at the end of the counter before making your way over to the computer desk._

_You set your mug on one side of the desk and the blue package on the other before sitting down in your stiff computer chair. It wasn’t all that comfy, but you really couldn’t afford anything else on your budget._

_Placing your hand on your mouse, you move it frantically. After a moment, the monitor comes to life. You move the cursor across your desktop, until it lands on a bright red heart icon._

_You hesitate, wondering for a second what on Earth you were even planning to do? You shake that thought aside, it didn’t matter. You just need to do **something…** and that’s really all you know._

_You take a deep breath and double click._

_Moving your hands to the keyboard, you patiently wait for the familiar screen to pop up._

_…_

_…_

_But..._

_Something's not right._

_It's taking too long._

_WAY too long..._

_Normally it just takes a few seconds, but now…it’s been half a minute._

**_Why is it so slow?_ **

_Just then, the window opens._

_But the opening doesn’t play._

_Instead, words appear in a text box on the screen._

**_*_ ** _So you are back again, I see. You certainly spend a lot of time here, don't you? Tell me... Do you know how many times you have reset this world? *****_

_..._

_You sit there as you stare at the words before you..._

_Well..._

_This is new._

_You thought you've seen everything in this game...or...at least..._ **_almost_ **_everything..._

_You're not sure what to make of this. But something about this...is kinda creeping you out. It’s causing a shiver to run over your skin, and you know it’s not from the cold._

_The sweatshirt you’re wearing is making sure of it._

_The message continues._

**_*_** _Enough times for me to find a solution to my **predicament.**_ _You have something that I want. And because of your **determination**_ _... I am finally able to get it. *****_

_You frown as you stare at the words before you. You read them a couple times over quickly, and then you come to a conclusion._

_This...this is too weird...too creepy.._

_You...you don't like it._

_You feel a chill crawl up your spine, the hairs on the back of your neck feel like their standing on end._

_You gulp nervously._

**_Maybe it's best to just turn in for the night..._ **

_You could always try again in the morning, when the sun’s out and the atmosphere isn’t’ quiet so…threatening._

_You move your hand to reach for the escape button....but you can't._

_There’s tension there when you try to lift it, like its being restrained._

_Your hand won't move..._

_Alarmed, you immediately look down._

_You gasp in horror._

**_What?_ **

_There's a thick black substance oozing from the crevices in your keyboard, coating the underside of both your hands._

_You pull on them, the tar stretches slightly but it holds fast._

_You pull again, but nothing._

_You begin to feel frantic as you give another tug, and another, and another. Your hands gaining more and more distance, but the sludge still won’t release you._

_And amazingly enough, the console doesn’t budge as well._

_After the sixth tug the tar pulls back twice as hard, slamming your hands back down on the keyboard._

_You feel panic start to take hold._

**_What is this?! What the heck is happening?!_ **

_The substance continues to ooze, thoroughly coating the surface of your keyboard. As it does, it begins to slowly creep up the sides of your hands._

_Moving as if it had a mind of its own._

**_Oh god…_ **

_You quickly stand, knocking your computer chair away. You watch as the goo begins to overflow and drip onto the floor._

_Slowly, it seeps closer to your feet._

_Desperately, you continue to pull on your hands while closely watching where you step. You shuffle one foot away as the substance oozes closer to it. You do the same with the other foot, frantically trying to keep yourself moving._

**_This isn't happening...this isn't real!!_ **

_However, it’s not long before you run out of room. The ooze is soon coating the entire floor around you, and your feet soon slip into it._

_You struggle to get free._

_But you’re stuck...really..._ **_really_ **_stuck._

**_Oh god oh god oh god..._ **

_You don’t know what to do._

_This can’t be real._

_This can’t be!_

_Movement catches your eye and you turn back to the screen._

_Your eyes grow wide with fear._

_New words are typing across as black tar oozes from the corners of the monitor._

**_*_** _But in order for this to work..._ **_*_**

_The ooze lifts off the monitor, rearing back before lunging at you. You flinch as you feel it hit your body. The sticky substance stretches across the gap like a piece of soggy bubble gum._

_You feel it start slowly crawling up your neck._

_You feel sick._

_You haven’t been this scared in all your life._

_You want to scream out, to call for help._

_But fear causes your throat to close up tight. You can’t make a sound._

_You’re on your own._

**_Stop it! No! Please!_ **

_You shake your head frantically, trying to somehow knock the offending ooze off._

_It's no use. It just continues to crawl around the edges of your face._

_A bright glow catches your attention, and your eyes are instantly drawn to it._

_It only takes a second to register what it is, for its shape is quite distinct._

**_W..what?_ **

_It’s a heart…_

_A glowing…red….heart…_

_The moment your eyes land on it, you’re filled with a crushing pain. Like your whole body is being constricted, squeezed far too tight for you to be comfortable. You shut your eyes tight, feeling tears form in the corner of them._

_You are terrified._

_You open your eyes and peer past the floating heart in front of you. Just in time to see more words dance across the screen._

_The tears in your vision prevent you from reading them clearly._

_Quickly, you blink them away and focus enough to barley make out the letters._

**_*_ ** _…You will need to come with me. *****_

_You feel a harsh yank and you’re filled with an excruciating pain._

_Like something is trying to pull out your rib cage. Your eyes clench shut as the pain grows and spreads through your body._

_A blast of cold air hits your face, startling you._

_When you open them, you see_ _darkness surrounding your vision._

_…_

_No, that’s not right._

_It’s not your vision. You’re not the one blacking out..it’s the room._

_The whole world around you had plummeted into darkness._

_The pain continues to creep upwards, until it finally meets your skull. There is a pounding in your head, and a high pitch whining in your ears._

_It feels like your skull is being crushed._

_You feel something tug harder at your chest, but when you look down you can’t see a thing. Your body is so consumed by the black substance that it almost completely blends in with the dark void around you. The ooze shines slightly in the red glow of the heart, the only indication that the goo is still there._

_But it’s not pulling on you. The ooze seems to be stationary._

_It’s just holding you in place._

_Then, why do you feel like your chest is about to burst?!_

_The light from the heart flutters, and you look up. Through your teary eyes, you see dark shadows snake across the heart’s surface. The shadows wrap around it tighter and tighter as it attempts to drag it away._

_But the heart resists, and each tug sending a wave a pain through you._

_The pain is too much. You can’t even focus on your own thoughts as they become frantic._

**_Please! Stop! Please!_ **

**_Stopstopstopstopstopstopstop-_ **

_But it doesn’t stop._

_It only intensifies as it seems to tug harder and harder._

_Your eyes clench shut, the bright light of the heart dancing across your eyelids._

_You can hold it back no longer._

_You finally push past the lump in your throat and unleash a painful scream._

_Like a wire pulled too tight, something finally gives._

_The pain in your chest is suddenly gone, along with the light around you._

_With the pain in your chest out of the way, you’re suddenly reminded of the pain throbbing in your skull._

_It’s then that you hear it…_

_A voice._

_It echoes in your head... but your own mind is too distracted. You can’t even begin to focus on the words. It sounds like haunted whispering, echoing in your skull as it slowly fades. You’re only able to distinguish a single word, right before the voice slips away._

**_“…-help…”_ **

_Then, it’s gone. The pain in your head is the only thing left now, and it only escalates._

_A part of you wishes that you’d just black already. Just completely collapse so you’d be free of the pain._

_How are you even conscious?!_

_No one should be able to take this much pain without at least passing out._

_It doesn’t take long before you feel like you’re at your breaking point, and that’s when you hear it._

_A voice, though not the same one as before._

_You’re surprised you even hear it, you feel like your mind is splitting apart._

_It only says two words._

_You can’t understand it though. It’s in a language you don’t even recognize._

_But…_

_Somehow, you know what its saying._

_“Forgive me….”_

_With a final jolt of pain, you feel a snap._

_And just like that…you feel nothing._

_No pain…no fear…nothing._

_You just feel…_

_Numb._  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! ^^. Next chapter should be posted Sunday the 2nd. (This chapter was going to be ridiculously long, but didn't have time to finish all of it. Decided to split it instead.)
> 
> (UPDATE: Next chapter will be posted 10/9)


	27. ...And You're Never Waking Up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter is ok. Had trouble making the everything flow smoothly :)
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

You gasp as your eyes fly open. They dart around frantically as you try to process the world around you.

Questions fueled by fear race through your mind.

_What happened? How did I get here? Where is here? What’s going on? Where’s the-_

You breathe heavily as you glance around, but it’s hard to see. Your head is resting on something plush, the soft fabric pressing against your cheek.

It’s blocking your view.

Raising your head, you hastily scan your surroundings.

Darkness is the first thing you see, and you become instantly alarmed.

_Oh no…_

You bolt upright as you feel your pulse quicken. There’s a blast of cold air as you frantically spin around.

_Oh no oh no ohnoohno-_

You stop as you begin to take in the rest of the room.

_Wait…this is…_

The colorful lights from outside dimly illuminate the familiar living room, and the cloud of fear slowly lifts as you look around.

First thing you notice is that you’re on the floor in front of the couch. When you look down, you see a blanket coiled around your bucket and a stack of pillows next to you.

The blanket, you must've thrown it off when you sat up.

And…well, you were facing the couch when you woke up, weren’t you?

That explains why it seemed so dark.

Your breathing slows as you lift your gaze to scan the rest of the room.

There are mounds of blankets and pillows scattered everywhere. Under them you’re able to spy various body parts sticking out. Including one bright, white skull…snoring heavily.

You sigh in relief.

That’s right, you remember now.

You were having a sleepover at the skeleton brothers’ house. And between the movie, the popcorn fight, the little performance you put on, the annoying dog…

You had completely worn yourself out.

You recall that after Papyrus had returned from attempting to retrieve his special attack, he had pulled out a huge variety of coloring supplies. Honestly, you never knew that he enjoyed coloring so much **…** or maybe it was more for Frisk’s enjoyment? Hard to say.

Undyne didn’t seem too thrilled to be coloring, but she participated anyways…and broke several crayons with her aggressive coloring technique.

You had tried to participate as well, but it was too hard for you to hold a crayon between your leaves. So, you had just given up and sat back and watched with Sans.

That must’ve been about the time you had fallen asleep.

Though, you’re not really sure how you ended up with the blanket covering you and the pillows…you don’t really remember that part.

A snort causes you to snap out of your thoughts, and you quickly look to its source. The skeleton in front of you continues to snore loudly, and your mouth quirks upwards slightly at the sound.

The kid didn't lie when they told you that Papyrus snores.

And Jeeze, you’re kinda surprised you were able to sleep through that racket.

_Guess he’s loud no matter what time of day it is._

Next to the gleaming white skull, you spy a large blue foot.

At first you’re a bit confused, until you realize it’s a webbed foot.

_Oh..Undyne…_

From the looks of it, Undyne had sprawled herself across the floor and is now taking up as much space as possible. Though it’s hard to tell, the blankets are covering most of her.

But from what you can see, she’s effectively invading Papyrus’s space. Or perhaps the skeleton is invading hers? You’re not really sure.

You hear something shift on the couch behind you.

You turn and look up to see another mound of blankets, a brown tuff of hair peeking out from under it.

Looks like the kid got the couch.

You turn and scan the room once more, trying to find the last member of the household.

But…

You can’t seem to find him.

Is he somewhere in this mess of blankets and pillows? Did he go upstairs?

Knowing him, he could be anywhere.

You pause for a moment. There is a nagging sensation in the back of your mind, and your eyes drift to the floor as you try to think of what it could be.

There was something you were going to do…wasn’t there?

…

…

That’s right…

You never did to talk to him, did you?

You were going to tell Sans about what was happening to you. You were going to talk to him and confide in him.

But…

You kept pushing it off.

Now, you missed your chance.

You sigh as you shake your head.

_How can I be so stupid?_

You reach down and pull the blanket back around you as you shift into a comfortable position.

You lean back into the pillows behind you for support, but you don’t rest your head on them.

It’s not like you’ll be able to sleep anyways.

At least, not yet.

Your mind is still quite active, and it doesn’t take long before it drifts back to the dream.

**_The black substance begins to slowly creep up the sides of your hands._ **

You shiver and clutch the blanket around you tightly.

It’s the same dream again

And to your surprise, this one had been shockingly vivid.

Why though? Last time your nightmare was so broken you could barely recognize it.

But now...it was almost like you were actually there.

Like you were actually living it…

_There is no way that’s just a dream. I’m sure of it now._

You hug the blanket tighter as you recall the events of your vision.

That night, you can’t remember what had happened before the dream started. You know you had just gotten home from work. And knowing you, you had most likely immediately switched into something more comfortable. A plain oversized hoodie and your favorite pair of sweatpants that, for some reason, were about an inch too short on you.

Normally, you would feel instantly better then…but this time it was different. You kept getting this…feeling. Though you can’t remember exactly, you know that it had plagued you for days. It was an urge, an urge to act, to do something. But you couldn’t figure out what, even now you don’t know what it was. Just that it had something to do with the game.

Finally, you had decided to follow it…and then..

**_You feel it slowly crawling up your neck._ **

You shiver as you close your eyes.

That was horrible.

Even now, you can still feel the ooze creeping over your skin.

You can still hear the high pitched whining noise in your head as your head throbbed with pain.

You can see the dark void snaking its way around the hea-

You pause.

A sickening realization washes over you as your eyes fly open wide.

_That…my soul…that was MY soul._

You can remember it clearly. It was floating in front of you, shining brightly. You remember seeing the darkness creep around it, wrapping it tightly.

It was tugging on it and then....

A snap...

And it was just…

Gone…

…

_It's gone._

Your soul is gone.

That…that _thing_ took your soul.

That thing took your soul! It took your soul and turned you into a flower!

You feel a sudden coldness wash over you and you hold yourself tight, pulling the blanket around you even tighter.

You feel your leaves tremble as your filled with a horrified sensation.

_Oh…no…no..nononono…_

After all this time of trying to reason with yourself that you had a soul. That Flowey was lying. That everything you were feeling was real. That there was just something wrong with it…

Turns out…you were wrong…

You don’t want to believe it.

That everything that you’ve been feeling, every pun that you laughed at, and every tear that you shed…it was all just… _imitated_.

It couldn’t be…

But…

The evidence is hard to argue with, isn’t it?

After all, you saw it. With your own eyes you saw it. You had seen your soul right in front of you.

Then, it was simply gone.

…

You can’t deny it any farther…

You’re soulless.

Just like Flowey had said.

You feel tears begin to form as millions of questions race through your mind.

What are you going to do now? Where did it go? What did that thing want with your soul? Will you ever see it again? How are you going to get it back? How are you supposed to turn back into a human without a soul? Can you even turn back? What will happen to you?

What will happen when your mind stops fabricating emotions?

Will you just forget the things that bring you joy, the things that you love? Will you forget your family? Your friends? Will you turn on them for your own selfish reasons?

Will you turn on Papyrus?

On Sans?

On Frisk?

_Frisk…_

How are you supposed to guide them when you won’t care if they live or die? Sure, they can’t _really_ be killed. They can just load a save or reset completely.

But…

Something about the thought of them dying because of you…it just makes you sick.

You have to imagine that dying doesn’t feel great and having to do that over and over and over…

And knowing that it was all because of _you_ …

You cringe as you clench your eyes shut.

_I…I don’t want to hurt anyone…_

_I’ve put them through enough as it is…_

_I don’t want to hurt them anymore…_

"Dandy?" A small voice whispers. Your eyes open wide in surprise as you jump. Spinning around in your planter, you look up to the sofa behind you. Your eyes fall on Frisk, who’s sitting up and looking down at you curiously.

_Oh..it’s just…_

You try to steady your breathing as you force yourself to calm down. Weren’t they just sleeping a few moments ago? How long had they been up?

As they gaze down at you, you quickly push the tears back.

You don’t want Frisk to worry about you.

Or be afraid of you…

_Though they probably should be…_

You quickly shove that thought aside.

"Oh, F-frisk.” You whisper, though your voice feels a bit unsteady. Quickly, you try to hide it with a kind smile. “What are..what are you doing up?"

They look away for a moment before they mutter quietly. "...bad dream."

Quirking an eyebrow, you ask them quietly. "Again?"

They nod.

You let out a sigh as you look away.

Well, now what? You can‘t really just tell the kid to go back to sleep. They’ll probably just have nightmares again. And if the two of you stay here, you’ll most likely just end up waking the others. You take a hesitant glance at the window, just long enough to see that it was probably still early morning.

You think for a moment, before turning and smiling up at the kid.

"Well...come on.” You whisper, nudging your head to the nearby doorway. “Let's go into the kitchen. I’ll get ya a drink of water."

Frisk smiles before throwing of their covers. They hop off the couch and pick up your bucket. You leave the blanket behind as Frisk carries you over the sleeping monsters and into the kitchen. Grasping you in one arm, they flick on the lights.

You hope that those two sleep as soundly as they appear, but just in case you still speak in a low voice.

"There.” You say as the room instantly brightens. “Now....where are the cups?"

It takes a while before you and Frisk are able to find them. But eventually you see them piled in the back on one of the cupboards. Now it’s just getting the water, which proves to be a bit of a challenge. You know, because of the abnormally high sink.

_How is Sans even able to reach this?!_

You ponder this for only a second, before you just chalk it up to magic.

With Frisk lifting you up, you’re able to rest the glass in your bucket as you hold it steady. The glass fills with water and it spills over into your bucket as well. Which is fine with you, you were feeling a bit thirsty anyways. With the glass full, they lower you and place you onto the counter.

You smile as Frisk takes the glass from you.

"Here ya go, kid." You say before watching as they lift it to their mouth and take a sip. As they lower it, they smile back at you. Then, you see their eyes shift and look past you. Their eyes grow wide and they smile broadly. You tilt your head to the side as you give them a curious look.

"What's up?” They look at you for only a second, before their eyes return to the same spot. Curious, you turn around.

Sitting behind you is the blue package of treats, still wide open.

“Oh, the Oreos?” You question as you turn back to the kid. They nod their head vigorously, and you can’t help but giggle at their enthusiasm.

You shake your head. Seeing that they just woke up from a nightmare, you don’t think that they should be eating any more sweets. “I don't think that’s a good idea.” You whisper to them, smiling apologetically.

Their smile turns into a look of disappointment as they lower their gaze. They look so sad, and you can’t help but give in to it. “…but well.” You begin to say, and Frisk looks up with hopeful eyes.

You smile as you say quietly. “Just one wouldn't hurt, right?"

Their eyes grow big and a huge smile spreads across their face. You turn around and wrestle a cookie out of the package. With it pinched between your leaves, you swivel around and hand it to Frisk. They calmly take it from you, but you can tell they’re trying to hold back their excitement. They are practically bouncing on their feet as they take a bite.

You can’t help but let out a chuckle as you quietly state. "Jeeze, you're sure excited. You must really like them, huh?"

They nod their head enthusiastically as you let out another chuckle.

"Heh, yeah me too." You state quietly, but a thought creeps into your mind causing your smile to fade.

_But…do I?_

The kid must’ve distracted you pretty well, you had almost completely forgotten about your new found realization.

But now…

You look back at the package behind you.

You’re curious now.

Earlier, you thought that something was off about them. Was it because…

…

You have to know.

Leaning over, you take a cookie out of the package. After adjusting it in your grip, you take a bite.

It's delicious, it's sweet, it’s yummy...

But just like last time, something’s not right.

You stare down at the cookie as you continue to chew slowly.

There isn’t anything wrong with the cookie, you know that. Sans had just opened the package. And you know that the cookies aren’t old, because you have a feeling you’ve seen this exact same package before.

In your vision, you remember you had taken a package off the counter.

A package of brand new Oreos.

You have a feeling that it was this package.

_It must’ve been sucked in with me._

But how it got into the tall skeleton’s hands was a whole other mystery in itself.

_Best save that for another time._

So…if there isn’t anything wrong with the cookie, then the cookie isn’t the problem.

Then the problem…is you.

…

You don't love it.

That's it, isn't it?

You don't love it, because you can't.

You can't feel love without a soul.

It's so stupid, that you only realize this when you bite into a flippin cookie. But you've loved Oreos for your whole life. Not loving them just seemed so strange and completely obvious.

You feel your grip tighten on the cookie as you try to fight back an overwhelming sense of dismay.

_It’s…It’s really gone…isn’t it?_

"Dandy?” Surprised, you instantly look up. Frisk is watching you, and they look quite concerned.

Quietly, they ask you. “…Are you ok?"

"Huh? Oh..." You dumbly say with your mouth still full of food. Looking away, you begin to swallow. As you do so, you fiddle with the cookie in front of you and try to come up with an answer.

What do you tell them?

You’re definitely not ok…

But you can’t tell them that, can you?

You don’t want to lie…but…

What if they don’t trust you anymore?

What if they become scared of you?

What if they leave you behind?

What if they tell the others?

What if they hate you?

…

But…

What…what does it matter?

Eventually, you’re not going to care anyways.

It won’t matter who you betray, who you lie to, who you hurt.

You’ll just become selfish and heartless.

They will not trust you.

They will be afraid of you.

They will hate you.

But…that’s then.

Right now…you’re still you.

You still care.

You still have a conscience.

You still want to help.

Looking up at the kid, you gulp down a lump in your throat.

For now, they can trust you.

And you can tell them, before it’s too late.

"Kid…” You begin, a bit cautiously. “You...you trust me, right?"

The kid just stares at you for a moment, before they slowly nod. You gulp down another lump as you ask them.

"And…and that I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you, right?"

Again, they nod.

You feel something swell inside you, causing you to hesitate.

"That's...that's good." You simply say as you look away. You didn’t expect this to be so hard. Or maybe you did, and that’s why you’ve put off talking about it for so long. The idea of saying it out loud, it makes it feel like you’ve lost all hope.

But…you refuse to give up now.

"Is…” A small voice begins. You turn back to the child in front of you. Their neck is craned up to look at you, their hands gripped around the glass of water in front of them.

From your spot on the counter, you look down at them.

_They look so small._

In a quiet voice, they ask you. “…Is something wrong?"

The question is so simple that you can’t help but let out a halfhearted laugh.

"Heh, well....” You pause before finally saying. “Y-yeah...I won't lie."

You fiddle with the cookie a bit, before decide that it’s best to just set it down. You bend over and place it on the counter next to you. When you righted yourself, you have trouble meeting Frisk’s gaze.

"I don't want to scare you or anything....I'm...." You glance up at Frisk, who is still listening to you intently.

"You...you remember I told you I use to be human… but I didn't know how I became a flower, right?"

You see them nod, so you continue.

"Well, I've been...having these dreams. Or nightmares really..I'm pretty sure that they're showing me how I got like this. And...if that's the-…if I'm right. Then....I..”

You take a deep breath, before you smile weekly at them. “I don't have a soul."

You watch their eyes go wide as they gasp, and you frantically add. "B-but it's not like I can't feel things! I do! I can feel emotions.....but…”

You fiddle with your leaves in front of you as you lower your gaze.

“Sometimes..sometimes I don’t feel right. I feel things but sometimes they seem foggy…or…I don’t really know. Lately, I've been-....they're-...I..."

You feel yourself getting anxious, causing your words to get stuck in your throat. You’d think not having real emotions would make this easier.

Guess not.

You stop for a moment as you gather yourself.

You take a few deep breaths, before continuing.

"Flowey told me that...when we don't have a soul...our mind fabricates emotions for us. But, eventually...our mind forgets those to. I think...”

You look back up at Frisk, whose just staring at you with a worried expression. You feel your throat tighten as your eyes being to water, but you push to continue. “I think I'm starting to lose them. There are times when I just...I don't act like myself...I can't feel the same things that I use to…or I can’t feel anything at all..."

You can’t bear to look at Frisk’s disheartened expression any longer, so you lower your gaze to the counter in front of you.

"I'm...I'm really worried.” Your voice cracks, and you feel tears start to drip down your face. Quickly, you wipe them away. “I don't want to be like Flowey. I don't want to hurt anyone.”

You quickly try to compose yourself before looking up at the kid.

“Frisk, you remember our first night here? At this house. I had told you that I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you. And I meant it.” You can’t help but look away as you add. “Even if it means it’s from me. I don’t know what I’ll become when...when all of my emotions are gone. I don’t know what I’ll be thinking or-“

You turn back to the kid, “Frisk, if things get too bad. If I start thinking-if your safety is at stake…then I’ll have to leave. I don’t want to be around you if all I’m going to do is end up hurting you. If that happens, you’ll have to continue on your own, ok?”

You watch as they shake their head.

You let out a weak laugh as you say kindly. “Come on, kid. You could do it. You’ve been doing great so far. You can make it out of here, no problem.”

But they just shake their head again.

You watch as they set the glass on the table next to you before the grab either side of your bucket. But they don’t lift you off the counter. Instead, your quiet surprised as they pull you to the edge of the counter and wrap their arms around the metal container. They press their cheek against it as they mutter. “…I don’t want you to leave.”

Even though you can’t actually feel the hug, it causes a warm sensation to bubble inside you and you can’t help but feel touched by the gesture.

But a thought pops into your head and you remind yourself.

_This feeling isn’t real._

You try to push this thought aside.

Right now, it didn’t matter if it was a real feeling or a fake one.

Eventually, you’re not going to feel anything at all. You’ll take what you can get.

You sigh as you reach out to pat the kid on the head. You hesitate for a second, wondering if you should. But after a second, you rest your leaf on top of their head. There is a strange sensation, but nothing painful.

You feel your stomach sink as you quietly mutter. “Y-yeah…yeah I know.”

As you sit there, your mind continues to reel. It’s then that you get an idea, and it gives you a bit of hope.

Leaning down, you try to get the kid’s attention.

“Frisk…” You call, and they pull away and look up at you. “I need you to promise me something.”

They wait for you to continue, listening as their eyes glisten with tears.

“No matter what happens, no matter if I’m with you or not….you will keep going. You will make it to Asgore. You will pass the barrier and…”

_You will finish the game._

“…you will make it out safely.” You add instead.

Frisk doesn’t respond as they bite their lip and look away. You know that they’re afraid. You remember the first time you met them. They couldn’t even figure out how to get pass Doggo, but a lot has happened since then. You taught them the basics and you showed them how to spare the monsters without hurting them.

They should be able to handle the rest themselves.

That…and they do have the power to rest.

You don’t like the idea of the kid having to go through that, but the ability is there if they need it.

After a moment, the kid turns back to you and nods.

You smile down at them. You can’t help but feel a bit better.

After all, maybe you don’t have to get to the end. Maybe Frisk just has to. Or someone just has to. Maybe if the game ends, everything will go back to normal. Maybe you’ll get booted from the game and get your soul back and everything.

And, if it doesn’t work? If you remain stuck like this?

Frisk pulls you back into a hug, and you pat their head affectionately. Your spirits sink as you ponder the alternative.

_Then..at least I would be far away from Frisk._

You sigh as you continue to pat their head.

You don’t know why that thing took your soul, or why it would even want your soul to begin with. Or even why it turned you into a flower. You don’t know if Frisk getting to the end will solve everything. Or if you will be able to keep yourself from hurting others.

Quite honestly, you’re not sure of anything anymore.

The only thing you’re sure of is that there’s something driving you forward.

You haven’t really noticed it until now. But after your nightmare, you can’t help but feel vaguely aware of it.

However, try as you might you can’t pinpoint it.

It’s an unseen force…an urge that can’t be recognized.

But you know that if you follow it, something is bound to happen.

And that’s all you really know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for chapter 28! Which will be in a couple of weeks. (I will let you know the exact date soon)
> 
> (UPDATE 10/21: next chapter is planned to be posted 10/30)


	28. The Hot Dog Stand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to come out! But here it is!  
> Also 700 kudos!! I can't thank you all enough :D
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

Popping out of the ground, you turn to look behind you.

You watch as the small child hurries to catch up. You take this moment to catch your breath. Feeling something wet running down your forehead, you quickly wipe it away with a sigh.

Wow, you knew that Hotland was going to be hot…but this is just ridiculous.

After your little chat with Frisk, the two of you had tried to go back to sleep. But, it didn’t really work out to well…for you, at least.

You just ended up just staring at the celling, trying to will yourself back to dreamland. However, no matter how hard you tried…you just couldn’t. Your thoughts had become a jumbled mess of worries and fears.

Luckily, after a while, you finally started to drift off.

Annnddd that’s about the time Papyrus and Undyne woke up.

Bummer, huh?

You and Frisk didn’t spend much time with them, though.

To your surprise, the kid had declined breakfast and seemed quite eager to continue on their journey.

So, you all said your goodbyes and Papyrus had once again insisted that Frisk call him if they ever needed anything.

And with that, you and Frisk left the cozy house, got on the riverboat, and traveled to Hotland.

Then, you hit a little bit of a snag.

When you had reached Alphy’s lab the kid wanted to take you inside….and you had quite the time trying to convince them otherwise.

Although you're not as concerned about being seen anymore (most people don’t seem notice you anyways), you had a feeling Alphys would freak if she found out that you exist. She was the one who brought Flowey to life, after all. What would she think if she found out there was _another_ sentient flower out there?

Sure, she might’ve been able to help you but…you doubt it. After all, you were not created the same way Flowey was.

Flowey’s a consciousness imbedded in a flower, brought to life by determination.

And you…your body was transformed into a flower after your soul was stolen.

It isn’t the same thing.

Anyways, after some persuasion the kid finally went into the building by themselves and you had maneuvered around it.

You’re not really sure why they didn’t want to go in alone, but they seemed quite relieved when they found you on the other side of the building.

After that, the rest went by pretty smoothly.

You discovered that the kid didn’t rely on your directions as much anymore. They seemed more confident in their decisions and most of the puzzles they had solved easily by themselves.

This made you both happy and a little sad too.

You’re happy that the kid is able to take care of themselves now, but you’re a bit sad knowing that they don’t really need you anymore.

But…that’s what you were hoping for, right?

Now, the two of you are almost to Muffet’s.

Thankfully, Frisk had saved a spider donut that they had purchased from the Ruins.

You’re not really sure why they haven’t eaten it yet, but it might have something to do with the tiny spider leg sticking out of it.

Regardless, it’ll make things a lot easier when you get to the spider lady’s lair.

Fanning yourself with your leaf, you watch as Frisk walks past.

You wait until they get a few more feet ahead before ducking underground once more. The heat instantly envelopes you and you quickly zoom though the earth.

At least the temperature was somewhat tolerable near the surface, but it seemed to get even hotter the deeper underground you traveled. Though, no matter now deep you went, you never burned yourself.

Then again, you haven’t really tried going deeper than a few feet.

Frisk made sure of that.

Quite a few times they had insisted on carrying you to avoid the particularly large pools of lava and a few complicated mechanical contraptions.

Even though you think you would’ve been fine on your own.

You pop up once more and survey your surroundings. Behind you, the kid is once again trying to catch up. So, you decide to just sit and patiently wait.

As you turn back around, your eyes fall on a familiar sight.

Oh…right… you had almost forgotten this place was here.

It’s a plateau of sorts, a place where the cliff face widens slightly. The area allows a small building to sit out of the way and off the main path. It’s a structure you most definitely recognize…including the small skeleton sitting inside it.

_Sans!_

You feel your spirits lift a bit as the corner of your mouth turns upward in a smile.

Lowering your eyes slightly, you concentrate on what you are feeling.

_It’s there…it’s a bit fuzzy…but it’s there._

Ever since you left the brother’s household, you’ve become increasingly aware of your emotions. You don’t really think it will do any good, but you just can’t help it. The fear of losing your emotions has inadvertently caused you to check every single emotion you feel.

Most of the time, they feel a bit fuzzy..almost like you’re feeling them through a barrier.

Other times, it gets a bit worse than that. It gets a little bit weaker, a little bit harder to feel. But they haven’t progressed any farther than that.

You’re still able to feel them.

_They’re still there._

You turn your attention back to the skeleton, smile still plastered on your face. You notice that he’s staring straight ahead. Guess he hasn’t seen you yet.

As you continue to watch him, you realize something.

Huh…

This is the first time you’ve seen him all day, isn’t it?

He wasn’t downstairs when you and Frisk left this morning.

_Must’ve been still sleeping, it was pretty early after all._

But…

As you continued to look at him, you notice that something seems…off.

The bags under his eyes seem a bit darker than normal, and he looks like he’s just staring off into space. His smile even seems a little slack, but it’s hard to tell from your distance away.

Your smile slowly slips from your lips, as an aching sensation settles in your core.

The feeling is fuzzy but strong, as you can’t help but worry about the funny skeleton.

Maybe he didn’t sleep very well? Or got too much sleep? You aren’t really sure, just that he looks…tired. Or worn out.

Or maybe he’s just bored? It’s always hard to say with him.

The sound of footsteps seems to snap you out of your thoughts. You turn to look behind you, observing Frisk as they approach. As you watch, you notice something that you haven’t really thought much about before. The kid is just staring ahead, seeming to be lost in thought. Their face is a mess of dirt and sweat, but that’s not what bothers you. It’s their expression, their mouth set in a neutral line.

_When was the last time this kid had smiled?_

You can’t help but feel a bit bad. Ever since the brother’s house, you can’t remember them smiling…even once.

It seems like they just…aren’t having fun anymore.

Lowering your gaze, you think for a moment.

Both Sans and Frisk are not having a good time.

You want to fix that, at least…a little.

It’s then that you get an idea.

A small smile spreads across your features.

_Well, might as well give it a try._

You lift your head as you see Frisk continue past.

Quietly, you call to them. "Kid, wait a sec."

Hearing you, Frisk stops and turns around. You smile up at them.

"I got an idea.” Holding your leaves out to them, you smile broadly. “Pick me up."

The kid gives you a curious look, which is understandable. This is probably the first time today you had asked to be picked up, and there aren’t any obstacles in sight.

You bite your lip to keep yourself from giggling.

You want to keep this a surprise.

As nonchalantly as possible, you say.

"Well, go on."

Frisk doesn’t react right away, but after a second they do what you say.

After picking you up, they look down at you for further instruction.

You smile triumphantly. This is perfect! Though Frisk still wore the tough glove, lately they’ve opted to hold you with both hands instead of one. Not really sure why, you never bothered to ask.

But now, their hands are full. There is no way that they will be able to hold anything else.

Meaning…

You suppress the laugh that threatened to erupt. As calmly as possible, you look up at Frisk.

“Thanks, kid! And hey! Did you see Sans? We should go say hi!” The kid gives you a strange look. Probably because, despite your casual tone, you are smiling like a maniac.

And…are you shaking again? You should probably get that under control to.

Frisk, though a bit confused, turns around and begins heading towards the sentry station.

You twist around and face ahead, all the while thinking to yourself _‘This is going to be great!’_

Well…

Good to know you haven’t lost your sense of humor, huh?

As you approach the stand, you notice Sans perk up as his eyes fall on the two of you.

You watch as he leans against the counter in front of him, his smile seeming to widen.

"hey, kiddo. small fry. what’s up?” He rests his chin in his hands as he tilts his head to the side in question. “wanna buy a hot dog?” He lifts his other hand, revealing a set of tongs with a single hot dog in its grip. “It’s only 30G."

You spin around to watch Frisk’s reaction. They look really confused now, seems like they know they can’t carry anymore as well.

The kid looks down at you, seeking guidance.

_Oh boy oh boy oh boy!_

You know they’re in for a real treat. Seriously, this is one of the funniest moments in the game. How you ever found out about this, you had no idea. You just forgot you had a full inventory one playthough and well… _this_ happened.

Biting your lip, you give the kid a little wave to go on.

Frisk looks unsure, but they do as you say. Looking up at Sans, they nod. You continue to watch the kid’s expression. You don’t want to miss this! You feel something bubble up, you quickly stifle it. You can’t be giggling now! You’ll ruin it! Plus, it would look really strange if you started laughing now, huh?

Behind you, Sans says the line you’ve been waiting to hear.

"you’re holding too much…”

You bite your lip as you keep the laugh down that threatens to spill over. Your body begins to shake with the effort of suppressing your giggles.

_Just a little longer._

You feel something shift behind you. You know Sans is holding the tongs out, ready to put the ‘dog in its place.

_Here it comes!_

“guess i’ll just-“

Sans pauses, which is weird…cause you’re pretty sure he isn’t supposed to pause there.

“what's so funny there, small fry?" He suddenly asks.

_Wait…what?_

"Huh?" Startled, you spin around to face Sans. He’s staring down at you, his arm no longer outstretched and the hot dog still in the tongs grip. His brow bone raises in question as he looks down at you. Something about the way he was looking at you, it seems unsettling.

"you’re shaking like a leaf.” He states casually. “don’t normally do that unless something really…” Sans eyes narrow a bit, and his voice drops a few volume as he says. “tickles your funny _bone_."

The pun would’ve been hilarious if it wasn’t delivered in a way that made it sound almost …threatening.

_Oh…_

You realize your mistake almost instantly.

Sans must’ve seen you shaking, and knew that you were trying to keep yourself from laughing. He should know, you’ve done it in front of him countless times before.

The only thing that’s different now is that you were laughing at something that didn’t happen yet. You shouldn’t have been laughing, because there should’ve been no way to know what Sans was going to do.

Honestly! Who would ever guess that Sans was going to start stacking hot dogs on this kid’s head?!

_Oh no._

You screwed up…you screwed up big time.

Fear slowly begins to consume you, and you feel yourself begin to panic.

_Oh no oh no oh no oh no!_

_What do I do? What do I do?!_

Quick, you need to fix this!

Hastily, you give him a smile and hope it doesn’t look too forced. You try to let out a laugh, but it just comes out as a nervous chuckle.

"Heh hehe… I'm just...” You’re mind frantically searches for something to say. “…just…” You continue to struggle until you finally just say the first thing you think of. “…remembering a funny joke.”

There is a short pause as the air seems to grow more tense.

Then, Sans gives you curious look and merely asks. "ya?"

"Y-yeah.” You nervously reply.

Then, there’s silence.

You feel anxious as Sans continues to stare at you. The pinpricks of his eyes focused intensely on you, and can’t help but shrink slightly under his gaze. You begin to nervously fidget with your leaves, your smile feeling weaker by the second. What is he doing? He’s just staring you down. Is he expecting something? What on earth could he be waiting-

“soooo…” he finally says as he props his elbow on the counter, resting his chin in his hand. “are ya just going to leave me hanging?”

You stare at him blankly for a moment before realization finally sets in.

_Oh…Oh! The joke!_

Oh gosh! He’s waiting for you to say the joke! The one you had found so funny!

_Oh no ohno ohnOOHNOHNOOHNO!!_

This is bad! You are terrible with coming up with puns on the spot! Now what?! He’s expecting a joke and you are too panicky to think up anything!!

Your stomach drops, and you feel the color begin to drain from your face.

“I-I…umm..” Under the pressure, you can’t think of anything. You just can’t! You look away as you quickly reply. “I don’t remember it.”

Instantly, you cringe as you mentally smack yourself.

Really?!

You don’t remember something you were JUST thinking of?!? He’s never gonna buy that!

_I am so flippin stupid!!_

Inside you are a complete wreck, but you try to remain a calm exterior. Sans continues to stare you down, his expression hard to read. Is he suspicious? Is he mad? Is he going to call you out on your blatant lie? Is he going to comment that you had the memory of a goldfish?

…

No…

Instead he simply shrugs and turns his attention back to Frisk.

"anyways. like i was saying, it looks like your hands are full. sorry, kiddo."

You stare at him in disbelief.

_That…that can’t be it.. he can’t just leave it at that, can he?_

But Sans doesn’t say anything else, just continues to smile and stare at the two of you. Overall, he appears very at ease. Like there isn’t a thing wrong with the world.

You can’t help but wonder.

Did…did he really buy it?

….

No…

No, there is still something not right.

He looks very relaxed, but something about him that seems…tense. How that’s even possible, you had no idea.

But regardless, San’s gaze was beginning to make you a bit…uncomfortable.

Thankfully, Frisk begins to turn and leave. They hesitate for only a second before stepping away from the stand and continuing down the path.

You stay in Frisk’s grip, not yet ready to be released yet.

Your mind is reeling.

_What…what was that?_

That definitely wasn’t supposed to happen.

He should’ve at least continued with the gag…right?

Why did he just…stop?

You turn and peak around Frisk.

Your eyes fall on the small building.

With no skeleton in sight.

You gulp down the lump in your throat before quickly turning ahead again.

_He doesn’t know…he doesn’t remember…_

Despite telling yourself this….

You still can’t help but feel a strong sense of dread consume you.

You think that you’re in for a bad time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank You for reading! I hope this chapter was ok, I kinda rushed though it at the end. I am going to go though it later to make sure it's the way it's intended. 
> 
> Next Chapter will be posted by 11/20. (UPDATE: got sick so post date moved to the 27th. Sorry!)


	29. Lost in Thought

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so quick note! I made a slight mistake on the last chapter. I thought that the guards came before the hot dog stand, when they actually come afterwards. I fixed it now :D
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

You stare at the ground in front of you, watching each stone step go by as Frisk continues to climb the stairs out of the “dungeon”.

_He doesn’t know…he doesn’t remember…_

You’ve been telling yourself this since you left the hot dog stand, and that was a long time ago now.

Frisk had made excellent progress so far…with relatively no help from you.

They’ve already passed all the Hotland puzzles, got RG 01 to admit his feelings, and disarmed all the bombs in record time.

They even ate the slightly disturbing Spider-Donut without being told to, getting Muffet to spare them before a single hit was landed.

The only trouble they had was when they reached the color tile puzzle. They couldn't figure out how to get through it in time, which was understandable. Even you could never figure out how to do it. Though, in the end…Alphy’s had come to “save the day”.

In any case, all of these things the kid had done on their own.

And on top of that, they were done while carrying you almost the entire time. Only setting you down when they needed to. But then they’d pick you and continue on their way again.

And you’d just let them.

You’ve been far too distracted to say otherwise.

The interaction with Sans had left you with a lot to think about, leaving your mind too crowded to really concentrate on anything else. You couldn’t even focus enough to tell the kid where to go, so you were thankful that they seemed to have everything under control.

Cause let’s face it, you didn’t.

_He doesn’t know…he doesn’t remember…_

You tell yourself, watching as another step passes.

You need to stop worrying about it. Just because you don’t want your emotions to disappear doesn’t mean you want them running amuck like this. You’re almost done with the game. You only have the core and the castle to go. Pretty soon, you’ll be done. Pretty soon, you’ll be back in your body. Pretty soon, you’ll have your soul back.

_Pretty soon, I’ll…I’ll be…_

You stop your train of thought there. Even after years living there, it still feels weird to call your apartment your “home.”

So instead, you continue your chant.

_He doesn’t know…he doesn’t remember…_

You take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

You continue to repeat this phrase to yourself in hopes it will help you focus on the task at hand.

Frisk is nearing the top of the steps, but they’re still more to go.

_He doesn’t know…he doesn’t remember…_

You can’t help but notice this staircase seems much bigger than normal. In the game, it didn’t take nearly this long climb it.

_He doesn’t know…he doesn’t remember…_

But how long has it actually been? You’re not even sure. Everything just seems to be dragging out longer and longer…

_He doesn’t know…he doesn’t remember…_

…ever since what happened with Sans.

_He doesn’t know…he doesn’t-_

_But…what if he does?_

Darn! There it is again.

Try as you might, you can’t stop yourself from thinking about it.

You can’t help but wonder…

What if Sans actually _knows?_

What if he knows about what happened in the other timelines?

What if he knows about all the times you’ve reset on a happy ending?

What if he knows about the thing’s you’ve said?

The things you’ve done?

…

Oh god…

The things you’ve _done!?_

_What if he knows?_

_…_

_And what if…what if he **remembers**?_

A sickening feeling washes over you. Something in your core tightens and you feel the color drain from your face. It’s then that you realize that you’ve stopped breathing. Quickly, you shake your head as you derail that train of thought.

You take a few deep breaths.

You don’t want to think about it…not now.

You won’t be able to handle what comes next if you do.

You begin to start your mantra again.

_He doesn’t know…he doesn’t remember…_

Looking up, you quickly take note of your surroundings. You watch as Frisk climbs the very last step, and you breathe a sigh of relief.

Good, you hadn’t missed much while you were lost in your own thoughts.

The kid continues onward, making their way over to the NiceCream stand. As the kid approaches, the bunny monster looks down at them with a large grin.

Frisk stands in front of him and the rabbit begins to talk enthusiastically. As he chats away, he glances down at you.

Your eyes meet, but he doesn’t say a word.

Instead, he looks back up at the kid as he explains why he’s all out of NiceCream.

This has been everyone’s reaction to you as of late. They see you, but they don’t say a word. It seems like that as long as you keep pretty still, they don’t realize that you’re alive. You figured that they must think that you’re some weird toy or a prop or…something. Even Mettaton didn’t say anything about you, and you had always thought of him as being very detail oriented.

Then again, maybe Mettaton is stuck to a very tight script?

Either way, he didn’t say a word to you…or _about_ you for that matter.

This had actually bothered you a bit. Sure, Mettaton wasn’t exactly your favorite character but did he really have to just completely ignore you?

However, that was as far as that thought had ever gone before you started thinking about what happened with Sans again.

Frisk continues to make their rounds, talking to the other two guards. Afterwards, they continue their way up the next flight of stairs.

You feel your core drop as you remember what comes next. At the top of this staircase is the Hotel, where he will be waiting for you.

Right by the entrance.

Like always.

You try to suppress the sense of dread that begins to etch itself into your thoughts.

Which is kinda ironic, you’re worried about losing your emotions and here you are trying to suppress one.

Either way, it doesn’t work.

You can’t help but worry about what he’s going to say.

He’s going to want to know where you came from, why you’re here and most importantly…why you seem to know the future.

What will he do? Will he interrogate you? Threaten you? Will he call you out on the mistakes you’ve made? Reveal all of the times you’ve dodged questions or just given vague answers? Will he point out every transparent lie you’ve told?

He might…

…

But…

_He’s never done that before, has he?_

The sense of dread begins to subside, as the wheels in your head begin to turn.

How many time’s has he had the prime opportunity to call you out on something? To question your answers. To push for information.

And he just…doesn’t.

He had you alone the first night, in a completely separate room but he didn’t interrogate you, he comforted you.

He could’ve called you out on your blatant lie when you were in the bottom of the ravine, but he didn’t. Instead, he just accepted it as it was.

The bar.

The walk from Hotland.

The kitchen.

The hotdog stand.

Countless opportunities missed to really drill you for answers, to get you to spill your secrets.

But he didn’t.

Why?

Maybe because he didn’t suspect a thing when you first met him? No, he’s always been suspicious of you, at least a little.

But then…why?

_Why hasn’t he said anything?_

You’re startled out of your thoughts as Frisk suddenly stops.

Looking around, you quickly take in your surroundings and freeze. You’re at the top of the steps. In front of you is a large hotel made out of sleek blue stone. The bricks seem to glisten in the glow of the light that shines from the windows. This is the only source of light inside the dark cavern. A red carpet lay out in front of you, guiding you to the set of large glass doors. A bold “M” is carved into their surface and a brightly lit sign hangs on the building above.

“MTT” it reads.

As nice as the sight is, that isn’t what caught your attention.

No, instead your eyes had immediately fallen on a figure standing next to the doorway.

A skeleton, barley illuminated by the light of the doorway, is staring at the ground in front of him.

Just patiently waiting for you, like always.

You feel your core twist in on itself, you’re sick with anxiety.

Frisk still hasn’t moved yet either.

Turning, you look up at them. They meet your gaze, looking down at you with a look of uncertainty.

They don’t know what to do.

And quiet honestly, you don’t know either.

You lower your gaze for a moment as you think.

What should you do?

Frisk seems to be weary of Sans now, so it would be easy to convince them to just go inside.

But…should you?

It’s not like you’ll be able to avoid Sans forever. He’s still going to be there when you reach the Judgment Hall.

He’s always there…whether you like it or not.

Then again, if you avoid him now you can potentially prevent him from ever finding out about you. As long as he sticks with the program, he won’t talk to you again until later. Then, after that, he won’t ever see-

…

…

_…he won’t ever see me again._

Oh…

That’s right…

You’re almost done, aren’t you?

Meaning…

That you won’t be able to interact with these characters like this…ever again.

If everything goes as you think it should.

You’ll wake up in your apartment, like nothing ever happened.

You’ll just go back to the life you were living before.

And here…

Everything will just start over, wont it?

No one will remember you.

It will be like you never existed.

_…_

_But…_

_What if he doesn’t forget?_

And just like that, there’s that feeling again. The one where your core feels like it’s in a vice grip. You try to shake it off, telling yourself over and over that he won’t remember.

Yes, he knows that someone is messing with the timelines. Yes, he knows that you are somehow related to it. But, even if there was some way for him to know what has happened in other timelines, how on earth would he actually remember them?

No one except you and Flowey remember, and that’s probably because you two were the ones manipulating time in the first place.

Sans never had control over the time lines.

He won’t remember!

He _can’t_ remember!

Despite telling yourself this, the feeling in your core doesn’t go away. You can’t help it, you know what you’re going to do.

You sigh to yourself.

_I’m really stupid, aren’t I?_

Yup, you sure are.

You look back up at Frisk, who is still waiting for your directions.

You give them a tired smile.

“Come on, let’s go talk to him.”

Frisk still seems a little unsure, but they nod and begin to walk forward.

You turn back around and watch as you approach the distracted skeleton. As you near him, he looks up. Sans continues to smile like usual, but it gives you an uneasy feeling.

"hey.” He greets as the two of you approach him. Sans only glances at you for a second, before redirecting his attention back to Frisk. “i heard you’re going to the core. how about grabbing some dinner with me first?"

Sans continues to smile as he waits for the kid’s response.

It takes only a second before you feel a pair of eyes on the back of your head. You don’t have to turn around to know Frisk is waiting for your guidance.

Instead of turning around to direct them, you continue to look up at the skeleton’s face.

He looks just like he normally does, at least mostly. The smile he always wears is plastered firmly on his face. His eyes are relaxed as they just simply watch the kid before him.

To the untrained eye, he looks completely chill.

But, even just after a couple of days, you are able to pick out the tiny changes in his expression. His smile appears slightly strained, and the dark circles under his eyes are just as apparent as ever. That relaxed gaze looks more tired than laid back and there’s just something about his posture that feels…tense.

Even though he’s trying to look as cool as a cucumber, you can’t help but notice that he looks a bit on edge..at least to you.

There’s a part of you that wants to just back out now, tell the kid to say ‘no’ and just avoid this whole thing.

And honestly, you don’t even know why you’re debating this. This is stupid, it’s obvious that Sans pretty much knows you’re related to the resets. This is a huge risk that can be avoided if you just have Frisk refuse the offer.

But you just…you can’t. Despite everything, you know that this could be the last time you’ll get the chance to just spend time with him. Once you’re out of the game, you’ll never get this opportunity again.

And there’s that feeling, the one that feels like your core is being squeezed too tight. It’s so strong it almost hurts, and it’s one of the clearest emotions you’ve felt so far.

And it wants you to go with Sans.

Still feeling Frisk’s eyes on the back of your head, you nod.

Sans eyes suddenly fall on you, making you feel a bit nervous. He must’ve noticed you answering for them, because he cocks his head to the side and replies with a wink.

“great, thanks for treating me.”

With that, he begins to walk down the nearby alleyway. Frisk stands there for a second, seeming unsure of where the skeleton was going.

After taking a few steps, Sans turns around and beckons the two of you to follow.

“over here. i know a shortcut.”

With you in hand, Frisk hurries after the short skeleton.

They quickly catch up to him, and follow closely behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! I actually had to cut this chapter in half. The second half (the new Chapter 30) is going to be posted on Tuesday. So keep an eye out for that!


	30. Dinner...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK! This chapter may have need to be tweaked a bit (I was working on it late into the night) Nothing big, just minor edits and I probably need to spell check. ^^;
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> (minor edit to chapter 29)

After a few more steps, the world suddenly shifts.

In a blink of an eye, the alleyway disappears and is replaced by an elegant dining establishment. The restaurant is dimly lit and tables are scattered about the room. You glance behind Frisk and spy a few monsters casually chatting away at their tables. They seem too distracted to notice that the newcomers had appeared from nowhere. You hear the sound of rain coming from outside, accompanied by what you think is some sort of train passing by.

When you turn back around, you notice that Frisk is already standing in front of one of the dining tables.

“well, here we are." Sans announces casually. You look up to see that the skeleton is standing across from you. He pulls out the chair and sits down, Frisk does the same.

Your eyes scan over the rectangular table as Frisk continues to hold you. The table has a light purple cloth draped over it, decorated with a very familiar pattern of circles. There’s a candle sitting in the center, casting eerie shadows across Sans skull. You immediately shift your gaze to the last item on the table.

A rectangular vase with a little blue flower in it.

_Well, that’s new._

You don’t remember there being flowers here.

Either way, it doesn’t last long.

As soon as your eyes fall on it, Sans reaches for the flower and lifts it out of the vase. The skeleton tosses it carelessly over his shoulder as he pushes the crystal container closer to you.

"there you go small fry, saved ya a seat." He says with a wink, catching you a bit off guard.

"Oh...umm…” You’re not really sure what to say. He seems to be acting a bit more like he used to, and you feel yourself relax a bit.

“…thanks.” You reply with a small smile. Sans smile twerks upwards slightly as he pulls away and rests his chin in his hands.

You turn to the kid to give them instructions, but they seem to already know what to do.

Frisk lifts you up with one hand and holds the vase with the other. You pull your roots together to make a single point before they lower you in.

The opening is wide enough that you easily fit.

Once you’re in, Frisk lets go and you drape your leaves over the edges of the container. Your roots are able to touch the bottom of the vase easily, keeping you elevated.

The water is refreshingly cool, and you immediately feel perkier. You suppose you’ve been a bit dehydrated after running through Hotland all day, huh?

You look down at the vase as you adjust yourself a bit. Then, you notice that the vase has some sort of patter etched onto it.

You lean over, only to find that it looks very similar to a certain robot.

You snort out a single laugh as you straighten yourself up again, still peering down at the MTT brand vase.

“Wow, he’s really on everything in here isn’t he?” You ask no one in particular. Hearing a low chuckle, you look to the source.

“heh heh, ‘fraid so.” Sans says with an amused grin. You watch as he leans back in his chair and asks you casually “comfy?”

Feeling a bit more relaxed, you smile widely as you reply.

"No, I’m Dandy.” You giggle, before you suddenly feel a wave of regret wash over you.

Wow..that one was _really_ stupid. That wasn’t even much of a joke, was it?

But you don’t apologize or say anything further. You just smile sheepishly up at the skeleton.

Something changes in his expression fraction of a second. Though, you’re not really sure what, because in the blink of an eye it’s back to normal.

Maybe you’re just seeing things? Who knows, but you’re beginning to feel a bit awkward again as Sans continues to stare at you.

His gaze reminds you of why you were nervous about coming.

_Why did I decide to do this?_

Luckily, after a moment he redirects his attention to the kid next to you.

"so, your journey’s almost over, huh?” he asks, causing Frisk to perk up a little. You watch them out of the corner of your eye as Sans continues to speak. “you must really wanna go home."

Frisk lower’s their gaze to the table, and you can’t help but feel a little guilty.

You knew that Frisk didn’t _really_ want to leave. They made that pretty obvious since the day you met.

They’re only leaving because you told them to.

Actually, if you had a choice, you wouldn’t leave either. You like it here, you like the people here, and you’re having fun. But you can’t stay, for multiple reasons. For one, you’re soulless…and the longer you stay soulless the more likely you’ll end up just like Flowey. And two…two….

_What was two?_

Huh, funny.

You don’t even remember the other reason.

You hear Sans continue to speak, but your mind refuses to concentrate on him.

Instead, you can’t stop thinking.

You lower your eyes to the table as Sans’ voice drones on in the background.

It feels like you’re missing something.

You think back to when you first landed in the Underground. Back then, you thought you were Flowey. So you wanted to change back into being a human, right?

But…

Now that you think about it, you only considered changing back _after_ you had left the Ruins and even then it was never your top priority.

No, your top priority has always been to find Frisk.

To find them…and then to help them.

_But why?_

Your eyes feel heavy as you stare blankly at the surface of the table, your mind continuing to reel.

Yeah, eventually you reasoned that you’re helping Frisk because they were your ticket to changing back and getting out of here…

But what had pushed you out of the Ruins in the first place?

In reality, there wasn’t anything. You didn’t have a reason.

You just knew you needed to find them.

…

…oh.

You _needed_ to…

That’s it…

The urge that has been pushing you along.

The same one that made you boot up the game that fateful night.

This unseen force has been there since the beginning.

That’s the reason you left the Ruins, isn’t it?

This need to act, to do something…but..

What is it? It’s not an emotion. You can’t _feel_ it in the same way you feel happiness or sadness or fear…

And what exactly does it want you to do, anyway?

To just…keep going?

It’s hard to say, but the last time you felt something like this you had-

"you ok there, buddy?"

Sans’ voice startles you out of your thoughts.

You jump and look up at the skeleton. His position on the chair has changed quite a bit. He’s sitting almost sideways, propping his head up with his hand as he leans against the table. He’s giving you a curious look as he waits for your answer.

"Huh?" You dumbly ask.

Sans shrugs as he looks away "you just look a bit out if it, like you’ve heard this story a million times before.”

You feel your stomach drop. How long have you been spacing out?! Guess long enough for Sans to get though his entire story and to notice you haven’t been paying attention at all.

Wow, that’s rude of you.

And also dumb.

Now is not the time to be off in space when there is an already suspicious skeleton nearby.

"O-oh! I'm sorry!” You exclaim as you try to think of what to say next. You struggle to find words. “It’s just...I..umm."

_What do I say?_

You sigh as you rub a leaf over the other one nervously.

“I..I guess I was just…spacing out a bit.” You feel your cheeks heat up in embarrassment as you shift your gaze. You begin to feel a little anxious as you wait for Sans’ response, and you don’t have to wait long.

You hear a chuckle.

"you must be really tired, huh?”

A bit startled, you look up at the skeleton.

He’s just sitting there wearing a carefree smile.

Like nothing was wrong with the world.

_He…he did it again..didn’t he?_

You’re pretty sure that Sans had missed another opportunity to dig for more information. He had you, he could’ve asked what you were thinking about…he had even hinted at the fact that you’ve heard this story before.

But instead of pushing you, Sans had given you a way out.

And not knowing what else to do, you take it.

"Umm...y-yeah." You mutter quietly as you ponder Sans’ behavior.

_Why does he do that?_

"i don't blame you.” Sans says as he turns and leans back in his chair again. While doing so, he pulls his hands out of his pockets and props them behind his head. Sans closes his eyes as he continues. “you two got up pretty early, didn't ya?”

You blink a few times.

"Yeah.” You plainly answer, as you become increasingly curious.

Other than you and Frisk, no one else should know about that.

“But…how do you..?” You leave the question hang in the air. After a second, Sans opens an eye socket and looks at you.

"hmm?” He questions, before seeming to pick up on what you’re asking. “oh, last night i came down for a snack and saw you two in the kitchen."

"Oh...” You simply say, trying to remain calm. Inside you’re starting to feel your anxiety intensify.

_Oh no…did he….?_

You and Frisk exchange a quick look, both seeming to wonder the exact same thing.

Do you dare ask?

“Umm..did…” You fiddle with your leaves in front of you as you hesitate. After a brief moment, you make your decision.

You have to know.

Looking up, you ask him. “Did you hear anything?"

You watch Sans intently as he closes his eyes and shrugs. "eh, not really."

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. Part of you is relieved, and part of you is a bit disappointed.

It’s not like you wanted to keep this from Sans, you want to be honest with him.

But…it was hard.

With Frisk, it was easier because you’ve never been afraid of them.

But Sans…he was different.

Despite him being one of your favorite characters…

Despite his punny jokes and cool attitude…

Despite how nice he’s been…how caring he’s been…

And despite him being someone you consider a friend…

You know what he’s capable of…

And that terrified you.

"there was something i heard at the end.”

Your stem goes ridged as you continue to watch Sans.

He looks at you for a second as he raises his eye brow. “something about frisk getting out, no matter what?”

You feel your face heat up as your stomach drops. Out of everything he could’ve heard…it was the part that sounded the most suspicious when taken out of context.

Sans adverts his gaze as he adds. “ _tibia_ honest, i think you’re pushing the kid a bit too hard. they should be able leave on their own terms, when they’re ready.”

You might’ve laughed at the pun if not of the fact that you felt a bit ashamed right now.

You don’t even know what to say, so you don’t say a word.

You know it’s true.

You have been pushing them to leave, but it was for a good reason.

_Maybe if you knew, Sans…then maybe you’d understand._

After a moment, Sans adds lightheartedly. "but eh, it's none of my business."

You feel relieved slightly, until Sans decides to add. "but…if ya don't mind me asking, why were you two up so early to begin with?” You look up at him with a start. He cocks an eyebrow bone at you and says. “you always have private conversations at three in the morning?"

You jump as you immediately reply. "No no! It's nothing like that!”

The pinpricks of Sans eyes focus on you, and you shrink under his gaze.

You gulp down a lump in your throat as you fiddle with your leaves in front of you. Lowering your gaze, you begin to fight an internal battle with yourself.

You want to tell him the truth about being soulless, but you’re still afraid of what he will do if he finds out.

“…it's just...umm..."

_What do I say?_

Just tell him!

_But what if he thinks I manipulated him. What if he thinks I’m just like Flowey a-_

You’ve been over this already. It’s not going to matter once your emotions are gone. You need to tell him now before you don’t get a chance.

_But he could kill me?!_

He’s not going to kill you! He’s your friend! You need to trust that he will understand!

Just…trust him.

Steeling yourself, you raise your gaze.

Sans is still watching you, waiting patiently for you to continue. There’s something about him that seems off, though you can’t really pinpoint what it is. His posture just makes him seem more… alert. Like he doesn’t want to miss a single thing you say.

It makes you falter slightly, but you press on.

You’re going to do it, even though part of you is still terrified by the idea.

You open your mouth and take a deep breath.

"I had a bad dream."

…..

That…

That wasn’t you.

Surprised, you close your mouth and immediately look over at Frisk. They’re just sitting and staring down at the table in front of them. They’re fiddling with their hands in their lap, and they appear to be a bit troubled.

_Did the kid…did they just cover for you?_

The kid speaking up _right_ before you were about to tell Sans that you’re soulless could’ve been a coincidence, but somehow you doubted it.

_Frisk, what are you doing?_

As if hearing you, the kid eyes glance up at you for just a second before returning to the table. Yup, they definitely did that on purpose. Why do they not want you to tell Sans? Are they afraid of what he’d do as well?

_But why? Sans has been nothing but nice to the kid ever since they got here._

They must’ve picked up on how anxious you were and decided to try to help.

_This isn’t helping though._

"another one?” Sans suddenly asks, causing you to turn to him. Sans hands had returned to his pockets, though he’s still leaning comfortably back in his chair. “wow, kid. you sure have a lot of bad dreams."

The skeleton glances away for a moment as he contemplates something. Then, he turns back to the kid and asks them casually. “if you don't mind me asking, what are yours about?"

_Yours?_

You don’t have time to contemplate Sans choice of words.

“I…umm… I’m..” You hear the kid begin to quietly mutter.

You look down at the child next to you, and you watch as they seem to shrink down farther into their seat. Their eyes dart about as they appear to be searching for an answer. “I’m…I’m not really sure..”

You can tell they are uncomfortable, and you wish you could help them.

_Come on, kid. It’s ok._

“well..what happens in it?” Sans asks, and you hear him shift in his seat.

 _Jeeze, Sans. Just pick a position and stay still._ For now you ignore the skeleton and instead you focus on the kid and their response.

They look up at Sans, then over to you before their eyes return to the spot on the table. Quietly they say “I…can’t remember.”

You give Frisk a surprised look. You were not really expecting that.

Every time their nightmares were brought up, you just assumed that they could recall them but didn’t want to talk about it.

“You…” You begin but decide not to finish. You don’t want to start questioning the kid when they’re already uncomfortable. For some reason unknown to you, it looks like not remembering their dream really bugs them.

Frisk glances up at you for a second before their gaze returns to the table. They seem to know what you were going to ask, because they shake their head in response.

You hear Sans shift in his chair again as he asks. “but you know it’s a bad one, right?”

Frisk nods.

After a short pause, Sans lets out a curious hum.

You finally look up at Sans, who’s leaning forward with his head propped in his bony hand. He seems rather thoughtful, though it’s hard to tell with that ever-present smile. After a moment, he says “might not be just a dream then.”

You blink a few times.

That’s….an odd thing to say.

But, it’s something that intrigues you.

_What could he mean? Visions maybe? Or something like your dreams?_

You can’t help but be curious.

At the same time, you’re getting a very weird feeling.

Not a “good” weird either.

“What…what do you mean?” You ask cautiously.

Sans closes his eyes as he scratches his cheek in thought.

“well, how do i explain it…”

Sans opens them and looks over to you. Pointing a bony finger, he asks.

"you remember when we were at grillby’s and you said that dreams were sometimes your mind trying to tell you something?"

You blink a few times before you simply reply. "Yeah."

"well, you were only half right.” Sans sits up, and begins to gesture with his hands as he starts to explain. “sure, most of the time dreams are caused by your mind failing to shut down for the night. but they rarely tell you anything important, unless you’re trying to think of how a trombone could drive a convertible.”

You smile slightly at this as Sans continues.

“no…most of the time, they’re just a weird combination of thoughts and memories. and let's face it, the mind can be finicky. when it forgets something important, it has a tough time trying to remember it…at least on its own.”

Sans leans back in his chair, and shoves his hands back into his pockets. Closing his eyes, he adds. “but your _soul_ …” He opens an eye socket and looks at you. You can’t help but feel tense under his gaze. “…that doesn't forget."

You feel something inside your core squeeze too tight. You know this feeling, it’s the same one as before. The one that was almost as clear as the vase you now sat in. Although, the feeling seems to have clouded considerably since …

But it’s still there…and it still makes you uncomfortable.

You try ignoring it as you repeat back to him questionably. "Your…soul?"

Sans closes his eyes again as he continues.

"yeah. it’s kinda hard to explain, and i'm not exactly an expert on this stuff. so, bear with me here."

You tuck your leaves into the vase, lightly gripping the sides of the container. You’re getting a bad feeling from this, but you push it aside so you can focus on Sans words.

Sans opens his eyes and casually carries on his explanation.

“i think that humans have a word for it, the subconscious? humans seem to think that it’s in the head, like memories can’t exist anywhere but the brain.” He lets out a quick laugh. “nah, what they call the subconscious is actually part the soul. it’s the part that holds onto memories that are associated with a strong feeling.”

You’re beginning to feel a bit more nervous, and can’t help but worry about where this could go. You begin to repeat your mantra over again in your head, willing yourself to remain calm.

_He doesn’t know…he doesn’t remember…_

"sometimes when we dream, our soul tries to remind us of these things. but...usually as soon as you wake up, you forget again. then, you just end up left with a vague feeling. you’ll know if the dream was good, or bad…but you can’t actually remember the details.”

You feel yourself become more at ease as you inwardly sigh. Your eyes drift over to Frisk, who looks like they’ve been eagerly listening to Sans as well.

_Ok, so he doesn’t remember._

_He might know if you did a good or bad thing in the timelines…but h-_

“well, most of the time anyways.” Sans suddenly adds.

Your grip on the vase instantly tightens as your head snaps up to look at the skeleton.

Sans casually continues, seemingly unaware of your obvious reaction. “there is a way to remember these things, but it only happens when your mind and soul are in perfect sync.”

The skeleton shifts in his seat, resting his chin in his hands again. “heh, but that’s nearly impossible.” The pinpricks of Sans eyes flash over to you for a moment, making your stomach sink. However, the movement is brief and he redirects his attention back to Frisk.

“so long story short, these aren’t exactly dreams…they’re memories that you’ve forgotten.”

The feeling in your stomach continues to twist in an uncomfortable knot. It’s getting a bit stronger now, almost painful. It’s still is a bit foggy, making it easier to manage.

But the pointed look Sans gave you, whether he did it on purpose or subconsciously…you’re not really sure.

Just that it made your mind reel with disbelief…

_No..no he can’t…he…he doesn’t…does he??_

You can’t stand it anymore, you have to know.

“Have-” You begin to ask, but as soon as Sans’ eyes fall on you…you hesitate. Your grip on the vase becomes even tighter, but you press on cautiously.

_I need to know…_

“Can..you remember…any of those?”

Sans seems to stiffen, though it’s so slight that you barley notice. He seems…almost surprised or anxious…hard to say. Either way, he tries to hide it as he continues to smile at you. Quirking a brow bone, he gives you a questioning look.

“you mean forgotten memories?”

You gulp down the lump in your throat as you reply softly. “Y-yeah.”

In your head, you are frantically repeating to yourself.

_Please say no. Please say no. Please say no._

Sans seems to contemplate your question for a second, before he shrugs. “eh, i don’t think so.” You begin to relax as he adverts his gaze for a moment, before returning to you. “I can remember some dreams…but it’d be impossible for them to be actually memories.…”

_Oh…_

Your anxiety returns, along with that bad feeling again.

You fiddle with the edge of the vase anxiously, and you ask one simple question.

"W-why?"

Sans seems to breathe deeply as he closes his eyes. "well…” When he opens them, he leans forward and crosses his arms on the table. Gazing at you with tired eyes, he asks you “…have you ever had a dream where you keep on waking up…over and over again?"

You don’t say anything, you can’t.

Your whole body has gone tense, you barley had enough sense to nod your head.

There’s a sensation in your stomach...core… _whatever_ that is that’s being squeezed and twisted and dropping to the very pit of your being.

But…it’s still clouded...enough to keep yourself from falling apart completely.

You can’t even think properly.

All you can do is sit and stare at him as you try to process every word he tells you.

The skeleton continues as he shifts his gaze elsewhere, resting his chin in his hands as he does so. “then, you kinda know what i’m talking about. most of my dreams are the same pattern. i wake up from a nap at my sentry station in snowdin, i go about my day, and then suddenly…i wake up at my station again.”

You watch intently as his eyes shift lower and his eyelids become heavy.

“and it happens again. and again. and again.”

You continue to stare as you feel your jaw tense, a sense of dread washing over you.

The skeleton in front of you waves a hand as he continues to explain his dreams.

“each time i wake up, something different happened. sometimes good, sometimes not. but the day is always the same.”

The skeleton lets out a halfhearted chuckle. "it's kinda a pain…” Sans finally looks up at you, and you feel that knot twist some more. He gives you and Frisk a weary smile. “sometimes i’m not ever sure if i’m awake or still dreaming.”

Unmoving, you watch as Sans shrugs and leans back in his chair. He closes his eyes and shoves his hands into his pockets.

“anyways, those are the dreams i usually have. see, if those were real…it’d mean i’d be repeating the same day…over and over again.”

Sans eyes fly open, and he deliberately looks at you. His gaze so intense it causes you to inadvertently flinch.

Then, like nothing happened he gives you a playful wink and says in amusement.

“and that would be _impossible_.”

Finally snapping out of your trance, you lower your gaze.

Your mind begins to reel as you feel a sick sensation wash over you.

_He…he remembers…._

_He remembers everything…_

What now?

The squeezing and twisting in your gut wont subside. Though it isn’t clear, it’s still strong.

It still hurts…

You can hardly stand it.

The _guilt_.

_He remembers…_

You look up again and watch as Sans turns to Frisk with a shrug, offering them a large grin.

“yours though, kid? i wouldn’t be surprised if it was one. but i wouldn’t let that get to ya, if it was important enough…i bet it’ll come to ya eventually.”

Frisk ponders this for a moment before nodding, and after a second…they give Sans a small smile.

You switch your gaze to Sans for a second, before you lower your eyes again.

_If it was important enough, it’ll come to you eventually…_

…

You know what you need to do.

There’s a reason Sans had avoided confronting you all those times. You realize that now. Sans had always been curious about you. If he remembered the other timelines, then he must’ve known that you’re different.

He wanted to ask you questions, but he didn’t want to push you.

That’s why he kept backing off.

That’s why he made excuses up for you.

Because he didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.

He got to know you.

He liked you.

And if it was important enough, he knew you’d tell him eventually.

That’s what’s friendship is about, right?

You had to trust each other.

_And right now…I need to trust Sans._

You begin to feel anxious, so you take a deep breath and let it out. After a moment, you’re ready. You don’t lift your eyes from the table as you quietly say. "Hey, Frisk?"

You turn to look down at the kid, who is looking up at you with a questioning expression.

"Could you do me a favor?” You ask, smiling sweetly. “I’m craving some fries and I doubt they have any here. I think there's a burger place by the entrance, could you grab me some?"

Frisk looks a little confused. They look to Sans, then back to you. You just continue to smile, hoping that it hides your unease. After a moment, they nod and slide out of their seat.

You smile at them cheerfully. “Thanks, kid!”

As they begin to walk off, you quickly add.

"Oh!” Frisk stops and looks back at you. “And why don't you talk to the cashier a little. I know he could use a friend."

The kid stands there for a second, taking one worried glance at Sans and you before heading off.

You start to feel a little more anxious, but it had to be done. You couldn’t risk them trying to help by covering for you again. Plus, they didn’t even seem to know about the timelines and you’d hate for them to have another thing to worry about.

_They’re already against all odds down here. I don’t want to throw time/space problems at them too._

"wow…” You spin back around to face Sans. The skeleton is giving you a curious look. “…that’s ahh…that’s some map you must've-"

"There's no map, Sans." You cut in, and Sans immediately stops. His ever present smile falters, leading him to look a bit shocked by your reveal.

You sigh as you lower your gaze.

“There never was.” you explain, sounding exhausted. And you were, emotionally and physically. After a brief second, you add in a low voice. “And it wasn’t a joke I was thinking of earlier.”

Silence. Sans doesn’t say anything. You are beginning to feel nervous. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe you can pull back now. May-

_No…I need to trust him._

You push your fear aside and you look up at your friend. “I’m sorry! I-” You exclaim before lowering your voice again. “I didn’t mean to lie I just…” You look away as you uneasily fiddle with your leaves. You can’t bring yourself to look at him.

This is so hard!

Every part of you is telling you that this is a bad idea! That you need to just run! As far away from Sans as possible!

_No..I need to tell him! He deserves to know! After everything that I put him through…_

You feel tears start to weld up in your eyes, partially from guilt and partially from fear.

Because you’re still not over the idea that this may end up getting you killed.

_Stop, I need to trust him! I-_

"buddy…” Startled, your head jolts up. Sans is leaning forward, practically out of his seat. His hand is outstretched and hovers over you. He’s looking at you with a concerned smile. “what’s wrong?”

You feel warmth spread over you for a second, before it quickly vanishes. You know what you want to tell him, and you open your mouth to do so. But nothing comes out, so you quickly close it and lower your head.

“hey, c’mon. what is it?” Sans asks, and then he seems to hesitate for a second before he says in a soft voice. “is…is there something you wanna tell me?"

"I..." You begin. Taking a deep breath, you brace yourself for the worst.

You turn and look up at the skeleton, who looks down on you with a worried expression.

Giving him a simple smile, you say in an even tone.

"I’m the legendary fartmaster."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Chapter 31 wont be posted until January. Just so you know. :D  
> Also! 1year Anniversary of this fanfic is coming up! Yay! Don't know if I'm going to do something special or not. If I do, I'll let you know :)


	31. The Truth Comes Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if there are a lot of errors in the second part of the chapter. I plan to go through it later and check for typo's. Just didn't have time to and I really wanted to make sure I posted this on time. 
> 
> Also, I deleted the previous "not really a chapter" chapter so this one can take it's place. However, I posted the links to the wallpapers below so you still have easy access to them.
> 
> And FINALLY I will be posting chapters every other Sunday from now on (unless otherwise stated on my Tumblr blog)
> 
> I am super excited for this chapter, and I hope you like it :)
> 
> Small Wallpaper - [HERE](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com/post/155095887709/ruins-small-wallpaper-to-thank-my-readers-for-all)  
> Large Wallpaper - [HERE](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com/art/Ruins-Large-Wallpaper-653959838)  
> 

You watch as Sans’ face turns from a look of concern to a completely dumbfounded expression. The hand hovering above pulls away slightly as he just stares at you.

The light from the candle flame flickers across his features as he stands frozen in place, still seeming to process what it was you just said.

That phrase… you’ve heard it uttered only once before. No matter how many playthroughs you went through, no matter how many times you’ve talked to him in that hallway, he had only said it _one_ time.

But despite that, the sentence had stuck in your head like glue.

Because honestly, who would ever say such a thing?

_‘I’m the legendary fartmaster.’_

It’s such a ridiculous phrase.

Maybe that’s why Sans had used it as his triple-secret codeword.

The one he used to prove if someone was a time traveler.

And you had just said it.

The reality of the situation slowly sinks into you, making you feel nauseous. In one silly little phrase, you had said everything you were afraid to. It’s out there, there’s no back flipping out of this one.

Now…

What will Sans do?

You’ve said his password. The phrase he had said only once before. If he _truly_ remembers the other timelines, then he knows that. And he also knows that it wasn’t YOU he said it to.

You were never in any of the other timelines.

So, how on earth would you know that phrase?

_What will he do now?_

You watch earnestly as Sans’ initial shock wears off and his features morph into something hard to read.

Your smile strains as you shrink down in your vase slightly.

Is he in disbelief? Angry? Upset?

You think that he looks more…confused than anything. Like he’s trying to figure out what’s going on. And you don’t really blame him.

It should be impossible for you to know that codeword.

But…

He doesn’t know, does he?

No…how could he?

How could he know that all this time…

Everything that kid had done…

Every ounce of compassion they showed…

Every cruel deed they had performed…

Every monstered spared…

Every level of violence gained…

Every _reset_ …

Was not actually them…

…but you.

A wave of guilt washes over you and you can’t help but lower your gaze as your smile falls. You push your lips into a firm line as you rub your leaves together nervously.

You can’t imagine what he’s even thinking right now.

Your eyes shift about, trying to look at anything but the skeleton in front of you. The rain continues to fall outside, accompanied by a familiar sound. A soothing melody that you haven’t really noticed until now.

‘It’s Raining Somewhere Else’

The sound helps calm you down slightly, but there is still a sickening feeling in the pit of your core as you wait for Sans’ to react.

_It’ll be ok._

_He’s your friend._

_He will listen._

_He won’t hurt you._

_Just…trust him._

You take a deep breath as you tell yourself this, trying to remain calm.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

You begin to feel yourself relax a bit.

Then, you hear it.

A deep rumble, one that you knew well.

_Wait..Is he-?_

Startled, you look up.

Sans is smiling widely at you as he continues to chuckle. You watch as the skeleton leans back in his seat, relaxing into his chair as he shoves his hands in his pockets.

"wow…” He mutters as he shakes his head. “that's the most childish thing i've ever heard.” Giving you a curious look, he asks you. “where didja hear a thing like that?"

You blink. Now, this…you weren’t expecting.

You were prepared for the worse.

But not…this…

Still a bit puzzled by his cool behavior, you simply say. "From..from you.”

Sans chuckles again.

"heh heh, well it does just happen to be my super _super_ triple-secret codeword.”

The skeleton leans forward and takes his hands out of his pocket. Crossing them atop the table, he props his head in one of his boney hands.

Giving you a lopsided smile, he asks.

“guess that must mean you’re a time-traveler, huh?”

You don’t respond right away, you’re much too confused to.

_This is weird._

This isn’t how you thought he’d react. Not that you’re complaining, but this wasn’t even a reaction you’d considered.

Why is he so…calm about everything?

It’s almost like he doesn’t even care.

_Does he…does he not actually remember?_

You ponder this for a second. Then quickly dash the thought away.

No, he remembers. The look he gave you earlier made it clear that he does. Though, he didn’t make it very clear exactly _what_ he remembered. He did say that it was almost impossible to recall forgotten memories.

So…maybe he doesn’t remember everything.

As you look at him, he continues to smile at you. He doesn’t appear to be upset, or mad, or anything like that. It makes you relax a little bit, though not fully.

You’re still afraid you might upset him, especially when you tell him what you’ve been doing.

But…seeing how he’s acting now.

It’s comforting, at least a little.

You fiddle with your leaves as you try to find the right words to explain your unique situation. Even if he is as cool as a cucumber, you still have to tread carefully.

You don’t want to say something stupid.

"Umm...well….kinda. I mean...” You look away as you try to come up with an explanation.

“Frisk has the-…is technically the time-traveler.” You feel yourself fumble over your words as you try to continue your explanation.

“But..umm…well-I mean…" You pause as you fight to come up with the right thing to say.

Jeeze, how do you explain something like this?

_Sweet Tarts…what do I say?_

“so…” Sans’ words interrupt your train of thought. You look at him. His eyebrow is raised in question as he asks you. “did the kiddo blab my password to ya?”

You can’t help but feel a bit more relaxed by Sans’ calm demeanor. He is taking everything so well.

Shaking your head, you respond a bit more calmly.

“No, actually they don’t seem to remember anything from the other timelines.” You pause for a second. Then, remembering all the puzzles the kid had solved on their own, you quickly add. “At least, not a thing like that. But…well…”

You lower your gaze as you ponder your choice of words. How do you clarify that you’re not the one that’s the time traveler, but you’re the one that has been playing a video game as one?

Quietly, you mumble to yourself. “How do I explain this…?”

You don’t want to just blatantly state “This is all just one big video game that I’ve been playing” because you think that wouldn’t go over well. But at the moment, you really can’t think of a better way to explain it.

You’ve only known this world as that, a _video game_.

But you don’t know how Sans would react to that knowledge.

_But what if…_

You think for a moment, trying to choose your words carefully. “Have you…”

You look up at Sans, who is waiting patiently for you to continue.

_What if I just…describe it like that?_

"Have you ever…played a video game?”

Sans gives you a puzzled look.

Hastily, you add “I mean… one where you play as a character…and you go through the world controlling their actions, making their decisions, and living out their adventure?"

Sans doesn’t say anything at first, seeming to try to figure out exactly where you were going with this. After a second, he shrugs his shoulder and answers casually.

“eh, a few."

You look down at your leaves as you begin to fiddle with them once more.

“Well..” You look off to the side, still feeling his gaze on you. It’s a bit nerve racking and you can’t help but feel hesitant. Gulping down a lump in your throat, you quickly say. “It’s basically like that.” You pause a moment before muttering “…or at least it was.”

There’s silence for a moment as you just continue to fiddle with your leaves. They’re beginning to feel a bit sore, probably from messing with them so much.

Then, Sans asks. “so…you controlled frisk like a video game character?”

There’s no hint of anger in his voice, just confusion.

He’s just trying to clarify what you said…but jeeze!

When he puts it that way, it sounds terrible!

But that’s exactly what you were doing, wasn’t it?

You refuse to look at him. You can’t help but feel ashamed of yourself. Even if everything was just a video game…what you did to them…

You feel a small twinge of guilt course through you as you shamefully nod.

After a second, you hastily mutter. “But I didn't-I mean. I had no idea what I was really doing. I thought..."

You trail off as you continue to stare at the edge of the vase, watching your leaves fiddle with the edge anxiously.

You wanted to say that you thought this was all just a game, but that didn’t seem like a good excuse.

After all, this still was one.

At least…you think it was.

Listening to the rain pouring outside, you sit and wait for Sans’ response.

The sound of it mixed with the melody imbedded in the environment plays softly in your ears. It’s soothing, though something about it seems different now. You can’t really place what it is.

"so…” Sans finally says, causing you to glance up at him. You’re a bit surprised. You had expected him to be at least a little bit upset when you had looked up, but instead he seems quite at ease. In a lighthearted tone, he continues. “let me get this straight. everything frisk has done up to this reset, every choice they’ve made…” Sans cocks his head to the side as he gives you a wide smile. “that's all been you, huh?"

You can’t help but give him a small smile. A weight feels like its being lifted from your core, and you can’t help but feel much more at ease.

…

But…

A part of you is still tense, like there’s a constant alarm going off in your head.

It keeps blaring that something isn’t right.

Why, though? Is it just because this wasn’t the way you’d thought he’d react?

Is it because this all seems so…surreal to you? I mean, you never expected him to be this calm and cool about everything.

But..he’s always been like that, hasn’t he?

_I guess I should’ve trusted him sooner._

"Yeah…” You admit in a small voice. Then, as you think about it, you press the tip of your leaf to your mouth and ponder out loud. “I mean, at least I think so."

Lowering your leaf, you shrug as you try to explain.

“I mean, I don’t really know how this works. I don't know if Frisk has gone through timelines without me or how many timelines are actually out there."

"how many?” Sans simply asks.

You shrug as you respond.

“Like I said, I can’t really say. There’s probably a lot out there-“

“no, not that.” Sans says, waving a hand lazily to halt you mid-sentence. Lowering it, he smiles at you. “i mean, how many resets have been you?”

“Oh.” Lowering your gaze, you ponder this for a moment.

Pressing a leaf to your bottom lip, you look away as you try to come up with a number.

“Well..ummm..”

But try as you might, you simply can’t. At one point you thought you made it to 20 or 30…but that seems a bit excessive, doesn’t it? Then again, you did play the game a lot. It could be an accurate number.

After a moment though, you feel like you just have to give up. There’s just no way for you to know for sure.

Sighing, you respond “I don't really remember.” You look up at Sans with a sheepish smile. “I guess I kinda lost count.”

Sans closes his eyes and he lets out a few chuckles. When he opens them, he gazes at you lazily with his brow raised amusement. “lost count, huh?

Sans response is casual and carefree.

Despite that, a chill suddenly runs through you.

You don’t know why.

Everything is fine.

There’s nothing…

….

No…

You don’t know what it is…but…

There’s something definitely wrong here.

It’s making you feel uneasy.

Your smile strains as you respond. “Umm…y-yeah.”

You let out a nervous chuckle.

Lowering your gaze, you feel a sense of dread creep its way up your stem.

What is it? What’s wrong here?

The rain continues to fall outside, adding company to your racing thoughts.

_Something’s not right, but what?_

_What’s-_

It’s then that you hear it.

The thing that has been wrong this whole time.

Sans is always cool.

Always so calm and chill…

Maybe that’s due to his emotional state, he just doesn't care anymore…

Or maybe it’s because he’s use to wearing a mask so Papyrus won’t worry about him.

Either way, Sans is obviously good at hiding his emotions…but…

**_“magic is an extension of the soul. so if the monster changes, the magic changes. it can also be affected by emotions too.”_ **

Sans words echo in your mind as you listen to the melody that surrounds you.

Honestly, the song you heard before…you thought that it was coming from the restaurant.

But you were wrong, weren’t you? It makes sense though, doesn’t it?

‘It’s Raining Somewhere Else’ sounds very similar to Sans’ theme.

But this song…it wasn’t either of those.

You don’t recognize it at all, but it sounds very similar to the other two songs.

Except this melody was not cheery, upbeat, or soothing in any way.

This was darker, heavier…

And much more terrifying.

For a fraction of a second, you wonder why it isn’t “MEGALOVANIA” that you hear….but that thought is quickly dashed away. You’ve got more important things to worry about.

You feel your core plummet.

_Oh god, when did it change?! How long has it been like that?!?_

A single, dry chuckle interrupts your thoughts. Your head snaps up.

The amused expression on Sans’ face does nothing to calm your nerves.

“funny…” Sans eyes narrow slightly as he continues to smile, his voice dropping low. “so did i.”

You feel a chill run through your core. You can’t think of a single thing to say, but it doesn’t matter. You don’t really get a chance to anyways.

As Sans closes his eyes, he says in his normal tone. “well… let me ask a better question.”

When he opens his eyes again, you swear you see a flash of color in his left.

“how many times have you killed someone?” He asks, his tone almost threatening.

_Oh..oh no.._

You feel the color drain from your face as you shrink under his intense gaze.

“I…ummm…” You struggle to find an answer, but let’s face it.

You didn’t have one.

You lost count of that too.

After a moment, Sans seems to understand this as well.

He gives you a questioning look, but it’s different than it normally is. Before, it was more of a ‘cheerfully curious’ expression.

Now…now it’s just dark.

“no answer?” He asks. “how about just asgore?”

You feel your grip on the edge of the vase tighten as terror seeps into you.

“I-I’m not-“ You don’t even get a chance to answer this time before Sans cuts in.

“mettaton?”

You feel your body shrink down further. You can feel your voice growing smaller and smaller as the anxiety builds inside you.

“I don’t-” You practically whimper.

“undyne?”

You feel your sins crawling on your back. Your mouth clenches shut, refusing to open as you advert your gaze.

_This isn’t fair._

“toriel?”

You feel tears begin to form in the corner of your eyes. Why is this happening? Why is he doing this? You turn back to him and try to get him to stop.

“Wait a-“

It doesn’t help.

Sans just gives you a frightening look as he asks in a menacing voice. “how many times have you killed my brother?”

Frantic, you hold out your leaves and plead. "Sans, please just let me explain. I-"

Instantly, you regret your choice of words.

"explain?!" Sans shouts as he abruptly stands. His hands slam on the table before you, causing you to inadvertently cringe. You stare up in horror at the skeleton hovering over you, the lights in his eyes nowhere to be seen. With his jaw clenched tight and brow bones narrowed, the look on his face is unmistakable.

Sans is pissed.

"you've put me through _hell_ and you want to explain?!" He yells. You flinch as you try to back away from him, but you just hit the back of the vase instead.

You try to come up with something to say but you can’t.

"I-" You start, but the words get caught in your throat.

This…this was what you were afraid of.

Sans was furious, to the point where you might just end up dead.

The worst part is that you desperately want to apologize, but you can’t. Right now, you’re terrified…and the words just aren’t there.

You watch as the lights reappear in his eyes, but they’re dim. They still hold the same intensity as they had before as they burrow holes through you.

His voice drops dangerously low as he asks you. "do you know how many times i've woken up at that _damn_ sentry station and wondered if this would ever end?"

You feel your core clench as the guilty feeling returns, but you’re too afraid to say anything.

Sans eyes narrow as he continues.

"do you know how many times i've wondered _‘who’s the kid gonna off this time?'_ "

_Oh god…he remembers that I-_

Something inside you triggers. Tears stinging the corners of your eyes, you beg.

"Sans, please! I didn't-"

"you didn't what?!” Sans yells, his voice filled with bitterness. “know what you were doing?! you didn't know that when you cut off my brothers head he would turn to dust?!"

You feel a light squeeze in your chest.

_Why won’t he just listen?_

Holding your leaves in front of you, you cry. "You don't understand!"

"no _you_ don't understand!” Sans exclaims as he points a bony figure in your face, causing you to recoil back. You watch the hand gesture angrily before you as Sans continues.

“you don’t know what it’s like, living out the same day, over and over again. knowing that one day…without any warning, it’s all going to be reset..."

You lower your gaze, feeling it too hard to keep the skeletons stare any longer.

"but…” Sans whispers “you've heard this all before, haven’t you?"

You keep your eyes firmly planted on the table. You don’t want to look at him, you’re too afraid of what you’ll see if you do. You’re vision becomes watery, but the tears still refuse to fall.

_Why is this happening?_

_Why is he being this way?_

Try as you might…you just can’t understand.

You knew he would be mad, you expected it.

You expected him to yell at you, to threaten you, to _judge_ you. You even expected him to just up and kill you.

What you weren’t expecting was everything that happened before.

You just don’t understand.

Why did he do that?

Why was he acting like everything was fine?

Why was he being so cool about everything, and then just suddenly turn like this?

And why won’t he just listen to you?

The two of you were supposed to be friends?

_It’s like he doesn’t want to hear what I have to say._

_It’s like-_

"our reports showed a massive anomaly in the time space continuum.” Sans’ voice interrupts your thoughts, but you don’t bother to look up. You’ve heard this all before, so you just let him continue. “timelines jumping left and right, stopping and starting.”

You press your lips together tightly.

“until suddenly, it all ends...”

You know what he’s going to say. He’s going to tell you that it’s your fault.

_But…but why is he-_

“except...one."

_Wait…what?_

Shocked, you look up. Sans expression is still the same. It’s cold and frightening, but it doesn’t really bother you right now.

Right now, you’re more confused than anything.

_One of the timelines…doesn’t end?_

But, what does that mean?

You lower your gaze once more, your mind continuing to reel.

“nothing has changed...” The skeleton tells you in a hushed tone.

You only barley register his words as your mind races.

_If the timelines doesn’t end, what does that mean for the resets?_

“it’s all been the exact _fucking_ same...”

_And what does that mean for me? How will I get home if the game doesn’t end? What does it-_

“until now…”

Your mind stops as you raise your gaze. Sans is staring down at you, eyes full of distrust.

Then, he points a boney digit at you. "until _you_ …”

You stare at the finger, but you don’t feel overly threatened by it. You do feel _something_ though _._

_Is this why…_

“i want answers.” He tells you as he lowers his hand, and you instinctively follow it down to the table.

Your eyes suddenly begin to shift about, your brow furrowing as you think back to all the things that has happened between you and Sans up to this point.

_Is this why Sans’ been so nice to me?_

In a hushed tone, you hear Sans ask you “what did you _do_?”

It’s then that you finally realize…

_I…_

_I’m so stupid._

He played you.

You just can’t believe it…he actually played you.

All this time, he made you think you were friends.

He was nice to you. He helped you. He made you trust him.

But he barely knew you.

What reason would he have to be so kind to you?

At one point you even questioned him about it…on the way back from Hotland…

And he never answered you…he just avoided the question all together.

But he never cared about you!

He just wanted to get on your good side so he could get information out of you!

Because he knew you were new! He knew you were different!

That’s why he kept questioning you and backing off! Not because you were _friends._ Not because he trusted you to tell him eventually.

Because he was trying to gently prod information out of you! Trying to get you to break down and tell him everything.

And now that you finally did, he doesn’t have to pretend anymore.

You continue to stare at the table before you.

It’s strange…

As you sit and mull over every good memory you had with Sans.

You don’t feel sad…or afraid…or hurt.

Even the guilty feeling you felt so strongly before is no longer there.

In fact, you don’t really feel anything at all.

“You…”

Except an intense…burning rage.

"You jerk!" You yell as your head snaps up.

Sans instantly recoils. He looks quite surprised by your sudden outburst.

But you don’t stop there, oh no! You aren’t done venting yet.

“Do you really think I _tried_ to do any of this?!” You shout as you gesture to the state your being. “Well guess what? I didn’t!!” Pointing a leaf to yourself, you continue to scream. “It wasn’t _my_ choice to come here! It wasn’t _my_ choice to be changed into a freaky little flower!”

Placing one of your leaves on the edge of the container, you push yourself up. You watch as Sans flinches as you lean towards him. Using your other leaf to gesture angrily, you yell. “And it definitely wasn’t _my_ choice to have my soul stolen by a nightmare creature made of freakin’ black bubble gum!”

Sans continues to stare at you in shock, but you don’t really care.

In a quieter voice, you say boldly. “So, guess what? That’s the second thing you’ve been wrong about!”

Sans doesn’t seem to react to this, he just continues to stare at you.

The rage you feel slowly begins to subside, being thoroughly vented by your outburst. You let out a huff as you lower yourself back into your container, feeling the anger seep out of you.

As you turn away from Sans, you mutter quietly. “I don’t have a soul…not anymore…”

There is silence.

Neither of you say a word.

The fury you felt before boils down to a quiet simmer.

Other than that, you feel nothing.

You just feel…completely hollow.

….

You don’t think that’s a good thing.

Curious, you close your eyes and try to search for any other emotion.

Anything at all.

It shouldn’t be hard. You’ve had a lot of practice checking your emotions while traveling through Hotland.

But…

_Huh…_

Other than anger and frustration…

You can’t seem to find anything.

Well…

This isn’t good, is it?

You hear Sans let out a sigh, causing you to open your eyes.

Staring at the table before you, you listen as Sans says in a soft voice.

"look...buddy i-"

"Don't call me that!” You shout as you turn and snap at him.

Sans nearly jumps in surprise as you begin to point purposefully at him.

“Don’t call me buddy! Or small fry! Or shrimp! Or pipsqueak! Or any of your other stupid nicknames!”

An emotion flashes across Sans features that you can’t quite recognize, but the skeleton doesn’t say a word.

Not knowing what else to do, you turn away from him and cross your leaves over your stem.

That probably wasn’t a good idea.

You know you should be nicer to Sans right now.

He does have the upper hand.

But without your emotions, you just can’t react the way you should.

Or at least, the way you want to.

_I can’t deal with him right now!_

Maybe if you wait long enough, he’ll just go away?

…

Yeah, probably not.

"look,” Sans begins once more, this time his voice sounding much more demanding. “just tell me what you know-"

"I told you!” You exclaim in frustration, not bothering to turn around to look at him. “I don't know anything!"

Silence.

You simply wait for Sans to either go away, say something else, or-

_Well, seeing he hasn’t done the first two yet…he’s going to probably kill me._

_And then what am I going to do?_

_It’s not like I can-_

_..._

_Oh._

A thought pops into your head.

Why haven’t you thought of this before?

You had the upper hand all this time, and you didn’t even realize it.

_He’s not going to kill me…because he **can’t.**_

You hear a frustrated groan from behind you.

"we don't have time for this so just answer my questions or i'll -"

“Or you’ll what?” You ask as you spin around to face him, a smug smile gracing your features. The skeleton glares daggers at you, but it doesn’t concern you in the slightest.

You unfold your leaves as you gesture to yourself.

“Kill me?”

Shaking your head, you advert your gaze.

“I highly doubt that, unless you want Frisk to reset again?”

You listen as the music surrounding you kicks up a bit, indicating Sans’ frustration.

You knew you were right, that’s the only reason you were still alive after all.

The kid _liked_ you, they _trusted_ you.

And they weren’t going to just let you die.

"so that's it, huh?”

You turn back to Sans, still feeling oh so clever.

Sans however, didn’t seem to appreciate your cleverness. “you’re just going to hide behind that kid until they get you to the surface? then what? you just going to take control of them again?”

"Hell no!” You reply with a frown. “Once Frisk gets to the end then I'm done. I should go back to normal then I'm going home."

Funny, it was so much easier to call that crappy apartment home when you’re like this.

But now’s not the time to reflect on that.

"so, you’re just using them?"

Rolling your eyes, you reply in annoyance. "No, I'm _helping_ them. Do you _really_ think they would've gotten this far without me?"

"if you haven't noticed, the kid doesn't need your so called ‘help’. they have their power to help them.” Sans’ eyes narrow at you as he adds in a venomous tone “they don't need help from a selfish little freak like you."

You feel something ignite within you.

" _Selfish_?” You hiss. “You _really_ want to talk to me about being _selfish_?"

That…that was the last straw.

You’re so tired of him always giving the _judgment._

You’re tired of always being judged by _everyone._

Now…

Now it’s your turn.

 _Let’s see how he likes being **judged**_ **.**

Leaning towards him, you gesture to yourself as you firmly state " _I’m_ the only reason that Frisk hasn’t died yet. _I’m_ the one that’s been keeping them alive while you just sit back and watch.” You watch as Sans’ expression darkens, but you pay it no mind.

You continue to taunt him “Tell me, how many times has Frisk died on your watch? How many deaths could've been prevented if you would've just lifted one of your boney little fingers?”

The pinpricks of light in Sans’ eye sockets grow dim and you notice that his fists are clenched tightly shut, but you don’t really care.

He deserves it anyways, after tricking you in thinking that he actually cared about you.

“But _noooo!_ ” You mock as you twist and turn in your vase.

“You haven't done anything to help them at all! You don't do anything to help anyone! You wouldn’t even help your own brother-"

A blue glow surrounds you, and suddenly you’re yanked from your vase.

The next thing you know, you’re face to face with a furious looking skeleton with a glowing blue eye.

You’re surprised to say the least, and a bit nervous.

_Maybe I went a bit too far._

You hope he doesn’t risk a reset just to kill you.

You imagine it would be painful.

The magic surrounding you feels like a weight, like it’s compressing you from every angle.

Yet somehow, you’re floating.

The skeleton continues to scowl, making you wonder if he is indeed considering to just up and kill you.

Then, he finally speaks.

In the most spine chilling voice you’ve ever heard.

**_"g e t o u t."_ **

You gulp down the lump in your throat, the fear beginning to slowly return to you.

Part of you wants to ask exactly what he means, but you know better.

And you don’t have to wait long before he makes everything clear.

With his right hand, he points at you. "get out of the underground and don't come back this time.” He growls. “cause if i ever see your petaly little face again…”

His eyes narrow as he hisses in a quiet voice. “you’re gonna have a bad time.”

You blink, and he’s gone.

Gravity instantly returns to you.

You fall for just a moment before you hit the table top with a painful _“whack”._

The wind knocks out of you. Lying still on the table, you sit there for a moment as you groan and wheeze.

Ow…that hurt.

It takes only a few seconds before you recover from your abrupt fall.

Then, remembering how you ended up on the table in the first place, you quickly sit up.

You hastily take in your surroundings. The other patrons of the restaurant seem to have left. Probably to return to work…or perhaps the two of you had scared them off? Either way, you didn’t really care. They’re not your main concern.

But…

Your main concern isn’t anywhere to be found.

Huh.

Looks like Sans had actually left.

You let out a huff of annoyance.

_Well, good riddance._

You turn back to the table in front of you, staring at it as your mind begins to wander.

You sigh as you press the tip of a leaf in-between your eyes.

Jeeze, that could’ve gone better.

But wow. The truth finally comes out, huh?

Sans was never your friend.

He never cared…

You feel stupid for trusting him now.

He made you look like an idiot.

_Well, at least he got what he deserves._

_That lazy good for nothing needed to face judgment too._

_That stupid…_

_….._

_That…_

_…_

For some reason, you can’t bring yourself to finish that thought.

And it’s then that you feel something.

It’s not very strong, you had barley even noticed it.

But there’s something resonating inside you.

You’re not really sure what it is, but it doesn’t feel good.

A chill begins to course through your body as you feel a weight settle inside your chest.

You’re confused for a moment, but then you realize what it is you’re feeling.

_…oh…_

You feel regret…

You feel hurt..

You feel everything that you couldn’t feel only moments ago.

_oh god..what…_

It’s not long before the emotions escalate inside of you, causing your vision to quickly blur.

_What did I say?_

_Oh god._

_What did I SAY?!?!_

You wrap your leaves around the outside of your petals, pulling them inward as if to try to silence the thoughts ragging inside you.

_I didn’t mean it!_

_I didn’t mean to!_

_Dammit!_

_Why!?_

_WHY?!?!_

You pull your roots close to your stem as you curl in on yourself.

_WHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY?!?!_

_Why did it have to happen like this?_

_This wasn’t supposed to happen!_

Tears flowing freely down your cheeks as you sob uncontrollably.

_This isn’t fair!_

_IT ISN’T FAIR!!_

_God dammit!_

_I’m sorry!!_

_I’m…_

_…_

If only you had said it to him before.

…

_I’m so sorry…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Hmm? What's with that face? This was what you wanted, wasn't it? You wanted Dandy to tell Sans, didn't you? Well...careful what you wish for. ;)HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHApleasedon'tbemad.


	32. The CORE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick mention - there is a minor edit in the last chapter. For some of the dialogue I had switched the word "timeline" with "reset". This is a minor detail that may or may not be important later on. Other than that, just some other minor spelling and grammar fixes.
> 
> Without further ado, chapter 32! (haha I rhymed XD)
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

You stare blankly ahead, watching with tired eyes as each sparkling floor tile passes underneath you. Your cheeks are stained with dried tears but you pay them no mind as Frisk continues to carry you through the lobby.

You have to admit, the kid has impeccable timing.

It wasn't long after you started bawling your eyes out when they came back.

You had been so distraught you hadn't even heard their footsteps when they had approached.

The kid had seemed so concerned when they saw you, but they didn't ask questions. They just comforted you and waited patiently for you to calm down. It took a while, but eventually you just couldn’t cry anymore.

When you told Frisk you were ready to go, they had gently picked you up and left the empty restaurant without saying a single word.

You were thankful for this. You didn’t want to explain what had happened.

You sway with each step the kid takes, just letting them carry you as you keep your eyes trained on the shining floor.

It feels like you’ve just woken up from a horrible nightmare.

You feel tired, your eyes sore.

But…that wasn’t just a bad dream.

That really happened.

You had said those things to Sans.

**“You _really_ want to talk to me about being _selfish_?"**

**“You haven't done anything to help them at all! You don't do anything to help anyone! You wouldn’t even help your own brother-"**

Those terrible things…

How could you say that stuff to him? Even if it was true, what right did you have to call him out on it? After what you’ve done…after resetting over and over and over…forcing Sans into the position that he’s in.

You had no right to judge him…

You let out an exhausted sigh, watching as Frisk steps onto the red carpet.

Jeeze..

That didn’t go the way you wanted at all, did it? All you wanted to do was tell Sans the truth and apologize.

But, he wouldn’t listen.

Every time you tried to say something, he had jumped down your throat. Then, by the time he actually let you speak…you simply couldn't feel remorseful anymore.

All love and compassion was just gone, leaving you with only anger and frustration.

Though, that was also around the time you found out Sans had been manipulating you…so that didn’t help your situation any.

The thought still hurts.

Every good memory you had with him seems to be tainted now. You can’t look back on those moments without feeling deceived.

But that was your fault, wasn't it? You knew since the beginning he was suspicious of you. You knew he would be mad when he found out what you've been doing.

You should've never trusted him so easily. It was a dumb move, but...you really thought that he liked you.

You thought the two of you were friends.

Guess you were wrong, huh?

The worst part is, even though he played you…

Tricked you.

Manipulated you.

You still can’t bring yourself to hate him for it.

After all, you kinda deserved it.

After everything you’ve done…

You feel your core squeeze tight, the familiar sense of regret washing over you.

_It’s…it’s my fault he’s like this…_

Shaking your head, you try to forget about it.

_This is stupid. It’s was just a game. Heck, it still is…probably._

You feel a twinge of doubt, but you push it aside. You can’t prove that this is still a video game, but at the same time you can’t prove that it isn’t.

Either way, you need to pull yourself together. This is not the time to be falling apart, not when you are so close to the end.

You try to push all thoughts of Sans aside, but it’s hard.

Heck, it’s always been hard.

**_"explain?!"_ **

Sans’ words echo through your head.

**_"you've put me through hell and you want to explain?!"_ **

You try not to think about it anymore or else you’ll just start playing the whole thing over in your head again.

Blocking out the memories, you try to fight back against the regret inching its way inside you.

_Just stop, it’s just a game. Sans isn’t real, none of them are. They’re just fictional characters…they don’t…_

Despite telling yourself this, it doesn’t really help.

And you can’t understand why.

_They don’t exist…so why do I-_

A whooshing sound manages to snap you out of your thoughts. You look up as Frisk walks through the back door of the hotel. The bright yellow light shines behind you, illuminating the way as Frisk takes a few steps forwards.

Then, they stop…and you look up in awe at the sight before you.

Towering above you is a massive building, even bigger than the hotel. The building is casted in darkness, but several colorful lights illuminate its surface. You can hear a metallic humming sound imitating from inside it and the sound seems to rumble all the way through your core. It’s a familiar sensation, one you recognize while traveling underground. Only now do you finally realize where one of the underground pulses was coming from.

It came from here.

The CORE.

The source of power for the entire underground.

And the only thing standing between you and the king’s castle.

You feel the grip on your stem tighten slightly, causing you to jump. You glance back at the kid, who is still staring up at the intimidating building before them.

They look worried, and you can’t help but feel sympathetic. After all, the core can be a bit tricky. Even if you knew the way, you could still get turned around and the monsters inside were much stronger.

But Frisk was doing so well, and they have you to help them.

“Don’t worry.” You say kindly to them, causing them to jump.

Your smile can’t help but widen as they look down at you in surprise.

Guess they were lost in their own thoughts there, huh?

“It will be ok.” You tell them in a comforting tone.

Frisk doesn’t say anything for a moment, but then they give you a sincere smile and a nod.

You feel a warm sensation spread over you.

Even if Sans was never your friend, even if he never liked you or any of your dumb…silly shenanigans.

At least Frisk likes you.

And if they need you, you are going to be here and ready.

Even if they are just a video game character, you want to help them through this.

You will not leave them, not unless you have to.

Turning around, you notice movement near the doorway as two figures head into the Core.

It’s then that you hear the familiar ring of Frisk's phone.

Frisk quickly answers it and holds it to their ear.

Even though the voice is muffled on the other line, your sensitive hearing can pick up Alphys’ words clearly.

You’ve hear this all before though, so you don’t really pay much attention.

As the scientist talks to Frisk over the phone, your eyes scan the area.

A small, blinking light catches your attention. Turning to it, you notice the little camera sitting in the corner of the CORE’s doorway.

That’s right, you kinda forgot about Alphys’ cameras.

You feel yourself grow nervous for a moment, afraid that she might’ve been watching you interact with Frisk this whole time.

After a second passes, your anxious feeling begins to subside.

After all, if she would’ve seen you…you’d think she would’ve said something.

Though you’re not sure how she couldn’t see you. Frisk has been practically carrying you this ENTIRE time. And before that, you’ve been following Frisk and giving them directions on what to do.

How on earth could she miss that?

Maybe she doesn't have audio on the cameras? That would make the most sense, and you suppose that on camera you just look like a normal flower.

Your face is pretty small.

Well, either way…guess it didn’t really matter.

You’ll be out of here shortly, anyways.

You hear a click as Frisk hangs up the phone. With that, they begin to cross the bridge and head into the core.

As the door slides open, they quickly enter the metallic building.

You are practically blinded by the drastic change in lighting and you squint your eyes at the onslaught. You blink rapidly until your eyes begin to adjust.

The best word to describe the inside would be ‘futuristic’.

The place seemed alive with magical energy, the familiar melody playing softly in your ears.

Lights lining the walls were pulsing methodically and designs were etched into the aluminum walls like a mother board.

Your eyes drift downwards to the floor and you cringe a bit. Solid metal plating lined every inch of it.

_Great…_

There is no way you’ll be able to navigate by yourself around the CORE with the floor like this.

Frisk’s cell phone rings once more and they answer. You hear Alphys give the kid directions over the phone.

“Ready? This is it! Take the elevator up to the top of the CORE!”

You decide just to let Alphys’ to guide them at this point. It wasn’t like she was going to lead the kid into any danger. At least, not any that could be avoided.

Frisk walks forward and tries the elevator. But like usual, it doesn't work.

Big surprise there.

_It’s always the same, isn’t it?_

Alphys calls again.

“What? The elevator should be working… W-well then! Go to the left and keep heading up!”

You sigh to yourself.

_Maybe I should’ve just told the kid to go the right way to begin with. It would definitely save som-_

You pause.

_Wait...did she say…left?_

You go back over Alphys’ words in your head.

She…did…

She said left…

She's supposed to tell the kid to go _right_. Causing them to run into a dead end before finally going the correct way, which was the left path.

Confused, you glance back to Frisk.

They seem unsure as they look down at you for guidance.

Honestly, you’re not sure what to make of it.

So, you just shrug.

_Might as well go the way she says._

The kid nods in understanding before hurrying down the left path.

It takes only a moment before they round the corner and head into the corridor. As soon as they enter the area, they immediately stop.

Your eyes grow wide as you peer down into a pit of fire. Startled by the sudden appearance of the flames, you yelp and Frisk takes a step back.

This…this is the dead end, the one that’s supposed to be in the right corridor.

You’re very confused now.

_This isn't supposed to be here._

Frisk’s phone rings and you hear Alphys once more.

“Alright, now just keep heading up…That pit. Isn’t on my map.”

You’re brow furrows in confusion.

_What is going on here?_

“Forget it!” Alphys exclaims. “Let’s try the right side.”

Your mind continues to race as Frisk leaves the room. Something isn’t right, why is it different? Did Mettaton switch the rooms differently? But, why would he? The robot had always puts them in the exact same spot. Maybe he decided to change it this time? But…no. That can’t be it. Alphys’ map seems to be different as well.

_Then…why-?_

Your thoughts are cut off when Frisk enters the right corridor and stops. Before them is a hallway, but it doesn’t look right. It’s not the hallway where the first monsters appear. That hallway was open on each side, the path surrounded by a black void. This one still has walls on either side of it.

Frisk heads forward cautiously, seeming to be expecting something to happen. But nothing does. Instead, the two of you round a corner to find yourself in front of a series laser beams darting across the bridge before you.

You’ve seen laser beams before, when traveling through Hotland you had come across a few of them. Even then, you had thought it a bit strange how different they were. On screen, they looked like one solid beam. But facing them head on you had noticed that they were actually several beams of light, spreading out across the pathway like a fan. They were in a straight line, so it would explain why from above they looked like a single solid beam. It also explained why Frisk just didn’t simply duck under them.

Despite the difference in appearance, you recognize the layout of this puzzle.

It’s the “Stop and Go” puzzle that shows up later in the level.

But…why is it here?

It shouldn’t be here yet.

As Frisk talks with Alphys over the line, you stare at the sight before you.

What's going on?

Why is everything different?

_This doesn’t make sense._

You try to think. Why would this change? What had happened to cause this to change?

It never had before!

So why…?

You glare harshly at the beams in front of you, trying to search them for an answer.

_It’s always been the same…until now._

**_"until you…”_ **

Suddenly, Sans words echo in your head.

_Until…me._

The wheels in your head begin to turn faster.

**_“what did you do?”_ **

_What…what did I do?_

You don’t think this was exactly what Sans meant, but it makes something in your mind spark. This happened because of you, but what did you do to cause this?

_Think! What did I do that was different this time?_

You go through everything you did up to this point in your head.

_I entered the game. I exited the Ruins. I found Frisk. We battled Papyrus. Frisk went on the date. We stayed th-_

And just like that, you realize what you did.

_…we stayed the night, and we stayed again…and again…and again…_

You feel something in your gut plummet.

It makes so much sense now.

How long does it _normally_ take for you to get through this game? A few hours?

So, of course nothing would really change in that span of time.

But...you've taken _days_ to get here. **_Days!!_**

If the rooms in the CORE were easy enough to switch around in a matter of minutes, how many times have they changed in the last few _days?!?!_

You press your leaf between your eyes.

This isn’t good.

You should’ve seen this coming.

The blue flower in the restaurant was probably your first clue.

Things have changed…and have gotten much more complicated.

Sighing, you remove you leaf from between your eyes.

You turn to look at the kid behind you, who continues to gaze at the path ahead.

They look just as worried and uncertain as the time you first met.

_I'll have to help Frisk though this._

Most of the puzzles should be relatively similar and the monsters should be pretty much the same. Though, that’s just a guess at this point. There’s really no telling how much has actually changed.

You could be facing puzzles and monsters that you’ve no idea how to deal with.

But you aren't going to leave them hanging. Even if Frisk can’t really die, you‘re going to try everything to keep them from getting hurt.

You’ve told them before…you wouldn’t let anything bad happen to them.

And you meant it.

“It’s ok.” Your words cause the kid to jump a bit as they look down at you. The phone is held up to their ear as Alphys continues to talk on the other line.

Smiling kindly, you reassure them. “Everything will be fine. Just listen to Alphys’ directions and go slowly.”

They look away for a moment as the kid contemplates your words. Then, they turn back to you with a determined expression and firmly nod.

Your smile widens, but in the back of your mind you can’t help but groan.

This is going to be a pain.

\----

You inwardly sigh.

_Just a little farther, I think._

Frisk continues down the corridor, you safely in their grasp. Just as you had thought, nothing in this area was the same anymore. Monsters were here, but in different locations. Rooms were switched around, and some of the puzzles you’ve never even seen before.

Alphys already gave up trying to help you a while ago.

So, now it’s just you and the kid.

You wish you could be more help, but other than giving directions there’s really nothing else you can do. If you could only duck underground, you could scope things out before Frisk would get there. But with the floor being made out of solid metal and glass, it was impossible.

Sure, some areas had a grated floor that you could probably pull yourself into…but there’s no telling where you’d be able to pop up again.

So, you just have to continue giving Frisk directions.

You’ve managed to get them through most of it, but not knowing where you’re going is making you nervous.

After all, Frisk isn’t that strong.

Not only that, but you were so distraught before you had forgotten to go get the cowboy hat…

So, the kid had put on the apron they had picked up a while ago.

Funny, they didn’t seem too concerned with armor before. Guess they’re pretty nervous now too.

When Frisk rounds the next corner, they stop.

In front of you is a long, narrow bridge. Its metallic surface stretches across the black chasm before you. Numerous lasers run the length of the bridge, a mix of orange and blue light cutting across its surface. Behind it you can see several more lining the hallway. From your perspective, it just looks like a total mess of blue and orange light. Looking past the beams, you are able to see what’s on the other side of the room

It’s a dead end…with a single switch.

You know what the switch is for. It’s the one you have to flip to exit the CORE.

But…this puzzle

You don’t recognize it at all.

There’s normally not a puzzle here, you just get ambushed by monsters.

But this…

This is completely new.

You stare at the lasers for a moment. They don’t move, or change…or do anything but remain still.

Which begs the question…

_How are we supposed to get through that?_

You hum to yourself in thought.

It's a puzzle, so there has to be a solution.

Your eyes scan the area for some indication of what you were supposed to do.

Then you see a control panel next to the first three beams of lasers.

Tapping on the kid’s hand to get their attention, you say. “Hey kid, look.”

You point a leaf at the panel, and after a moment the kid hurries over to it.

Frisk stands on their tip toes in front of the panel as they try to inspect it. Emphasis on _try_. The board seems to be a bit too tall for Frisk to see clearly, its surface being level with their nose. And you, unfortunately, can’t seem to see anything but the bottom of it.

“Hey, kid.”

They turn to you.

“Hold me up. I can’t see a thing down here.”

Frisk nods in agreement as they hoist you above their head.

From your new position, you can see the panel quite clearly. There is a series of three black buttons in a row, none of them labeled.

Cautiously, you bend over and press a button. Or…at least try. The button won’t push under your weight.

_Guess Frisk has to push it._

“I can’t get it…” You turn to look down at the kid, but before you give any instructions they reach up and push the left one. The button lights up red. There’s a clicking sound and a flash of light next to you. Startled, you and Frisk spin to the laser nearby.

The lasers are still there.

But something looks…different.

You’re not exactly sure what it was.

It’s still a bit difficult to see past the beams, especially since they seem closer together towards the top than the bottom. But from this angle, you’re at least able to make sense of the mess of lasers before you.

From what you can tell, each beam of lasers was either blue or orange. The one closest to you was orange and the two after it were blue. Looking beyond the third beam of lasers, you see another control panel placed on the bridge. Followed by another group on 3 beams, followed by another control panel.

Lasers…control panel…lasers…then…

The end.

_So..this control panel must do something to these three._

“Hey, Frisk.” You say as you continue to stare at the beams in front of you. “Press another one.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Frisk reach up and press the middle one.

As soon as it lights up, you see the lasers change colors.

The three closest to you now go blue, orange, orange.

_Oh, the colors swapped._

Curious, you tell Frisk to push the button again. But as they hit the middle button again, nothing happens.

_Guess we can only press each button once._

You tell Frisk to try the last one.

When the kid pushes the right button, the farthest beam and the middle beam change colors.

You feel a wave of insight hit you.

_I get it! The buttons change the colors of the beam and the ones next to it._

Perfect! All you had to do was make an orange path so the kid can walk through it.

…

But…

Right now all the lasers are blue, and a strange ticking sound can be heard.

You frown a bit.

Well, now what? You can’t push anymore buttons?

_How do I-_

Before you finish that thought, there’s a buzzing sound and a flash of light. Surprised, you glance around. It looks like all the lights on the control panel had gone out, and the beams had switched colors again.

It takes only a second before you realize what had happened.

_The puzzle reset._

You can’t help but smile a bit, relieved that the puzzle isn’t as complicated as it had originally seemed.

Feeling confident, you smile down at Frisk.

“Ok, kid. Just push the buttons I tell you and we’ll be out of here in no time.”

Looking up at you, the kid returns your determined smile and nods firmly.

The first panel is easy, only having to press two buttons in order to solve it.

The lasers turn orange and the ticking sound begins once again.

You’re confused for a second, before you realize that it’s timed.

You tell Frisk to hurry and the two of you rush through the beams.

When you make it on the other side, the beams reset back to normal.

This doesn’t really concern you, though. You have a feeling that once you get to the end, that switch will turn off the puzzle as well.

You and Frisk continue down the hallway, solving one puzzle at a time. Each one is fairly simple and it’s not long before you reach the other side of the room.

You feel accomplished. A brand new puzzle that you’ve never seen before and you had solved it easily.

Right now, you think Papyrus would be proud.

You turn to Frisk and can’t help but smile widely as they beam down at you.

“Good job, kid.”

The kid responds by striking a dramatic pose.

You can’t help but giggle and shake your head.

“Yeah yeah, show off. Save the poses for Mettaton.”

You motion to the switch on the nearby wall. “Let’s hit that switch and get outta here.”

Frisk nods in agreement.

You turn back around and watch as Frisk reaches towards it.

They flip the switch, and you hear a clicking sound.

Smiling, you look to the bridge and-

Frisk stops.

Your smile instantly falls.

_W-what?_

The beams.

They’re still there.

Your brow furrows as you look at the sight before you, utterly confused.

Frisk…they hit the switch, right?

….

Of course they did…

You saw them, you know they did.

So, why?

_Why are they still here?_

You begin to feel alarmed, but you quickly stifle that feeling.

_No, don’t panic. There has to be something else._

“There…there has to be another switch.” You mumble to yourself.

Seeming to hear your quiet words, Frisk turns and begins to look around the small room.

But…

Other than the one switch, there is nothing else on the walls.

Frisk tries to flip it a few more times.

On and off…

On and off…

But nothing.

Panic begins to rise in you.

_This can’t be right! This is a puzzle! There has to be a solution! There has to-_

You cut your thoughts short when you see something lying on the floor.

A small, yellow sticky note.

You point it out to Frisk and they bend down to pick it up.

They flip the note over and hold it out for the two of you to examine it.

Scribbled on the note in neat handwriting is a message.

-Switch Out of Order. Use Main Power Shutoff.-

“What?!” You exclaim before ripping the note out of Frisk’s hands.

You hold it closely to your face as you read the note over once more.

“Main Power Shutoff?!? Where in the name of Ben and Jerry is that supposed to b-“

You stop as your eyes drift lower on the note. An arrow is drawn on the bottom of it, pointing to the side of the note. You turn your head as you slowly follow the arrow’s path. You feel Frisk turn, seeming to follow it as it continues to point.

Across the floor, onto the bridge, through the lasers, to the wall on the other side of the room…is a bright, red button.

Written above it, the words “Main Power Shutoff.”

You feel your core sink, the color in your face draining.

You and Frisk had walked right past it when you had turned the corner.

It was right there, behind you that whole time.

_How?_

_How could I miss that!? It was practically right next to me!_

Panic begins to consume you.

_Oh…no…oh noohnoohnoohnooh-_

This was bad..very… _very_ bad.

_Nononono! What do we do! We’re going to be stuck here! Stuck here until a monster finds us! Then what!? Frisk can’t dodge in this little space! They’ll be a sitting duck! An-_

Your frantic thoughts are interrupted when you feel a tight squeeze on your stem. It’s almost enough to be painful, but not quite. Something suddenly falls on you from above and slides down your stem, causing you to shiver. Confused, you reach up and touch it. As you bring the leaf to your face, you notice that it’s water.

_What the-? Where did this co-_

You feel another drip onto you, and you shake your head to try to get rid of the droplet. Turning, you look up to see where it’s coming from.

Your core immediately falls at the sight.

Frisk is staring at the bridge before them, wearing a hopeless expression as tears continue to roll down their cheeks.

You flinch a bit as another falls off their chin and hits you dead in the face.

Quickly, you shake off the water and turn back to the kid.

You need to pull yourself together.

Frisk needs you right now. They are feeling just as panicky and afraid as you are.

You need to take care of them. You’re supposed to be the adult here and they’re…

_They’re just a kid._

You force a reassuring smile as you give the kid a light tap on the chest.

“Hey hey…” You say in a hushed voice, leaning in slightly to try to avoid the tears falling.

Frisk doesn’t say anything, but they let out a sob as they raise hand to cover their face.

You feel something inside you ache at the sight of them crying like this.

Once again, you try to calm them. “Aww! Come on, kid. It will be ok. We’ll think of something. Don’t cry.”

It doesn’t seem to help though as the kid lets out another sob.

Your eyes dart around as you try to think of something to say. Anything that would make them feel better.

It doesn’t take long for you to remember the one thing that had always made the kid smile.

Looking up at them once more, you say to them in a gentle tone. “Here, come on. Let’s just sit down here for a while.” You motion to the wall behind you, as you add. “We can relax for a bit. I’ll..I’ll play you something, ok?”

The kid continues to cry, but not quite as harshly. You watch as they wipe the tears away with their sleeve before they give you a little nod.

Your smile widens. “Ok, come on. Go sit down.”

The kid walks over to the wall and lowers themselves to the floor, being careful not to jostle you around too much as they do so. Once on the ground, they rub more tears out of their eyes before setting you on the ground in front of them. You stagger a little bit on the solid floor, spreading your roots out to help keep your balance. It’s a bit hard. Your roots aren’t really meant to support your weight like this. After a moment, you manage to steady yourself. It doesn't seem too bad if you just hold still.

Once firmly in place, you look up at the kid with a gentle smile. They continue to sob a little, but you can tell they’re trying to hold back.

Your smile falters at the sight.

_Poor kid…_

You decide not to hesitate a moment longer. Quickly, you think of a tune and begin to play.

Funny, the one you pick is actually the first one you had played for the kid.

You don’t really know why you choose that song out of all the others, but it makes you feel a bit nostalgic.

Back then, you didn’t know you were soulless and Sans pretended like he didn’t know you were alive.

Funny, it seemed like that was an eternity ago but it’s only been a few days. Despite that, everything just seemed…simpler then.

Only the kid knew that you were alive and your only worry was how to get out. It’s funny, the kid was so unsure of themselves back them, so shy and quiet. They couldn’t take a step unless you told them it was ok. But then they started becoming more confident, they started trudging forward on their own without any direction. They started to open up more, and they started to remind you of how you use to act when you were little.

Back when you didn’t care about what other people thought of you. Back when you acted silly, laughed at stupid jokes, didn’t try to hide your excitement for childish things…

Back when you felt more like…you.

….

_What…_

_What ever happened to that?_

You push those thoughts away for now, really you shouldn’t be thinking of this right now.

The kid seemed to be calming down, they weren’t quite smiling yet…but they had stopped crying.

Which was good, but…

You really need to figure out what to do? How can you get out of this? At the moment, it seemed impossible.

_If only you had seen the button there before, this whole thing could’ve been avoided. We could’ve just walked up the hallway, pressed the button, and walked out. But..there was no way we could’ve known-_

It’s then that you think of something, an idea that startles you out of your thoughts.

_What if…what if we went back? Back to the last save…back to **before** we got stuck._

Frisk should be able to load the last save, which should be sometime before you were trapped here.

But…you don’t really want to make them. You don’t want them to feel like you’re just using them for their power. Plus, you’d hate to have to explain _why_ you knew about their power in the first place.

Oh boy, you _really_ don’t want to explain that.

But…you didn’t really have a choice.

And loading a save shouldn’t hurt them.

It’s probably just be like…waking up from a dream, right?

“Dandy?” Surprised, you look up with a start. Frisk is looking at you with a concerned expression.

Oh, you just realized you had stopped playing.

You give the kid an apologetic smile. “Oh, sorry. I just…I was just thinking.”

Lowering your gaze, you try to come up with a way to ask them to load a save. But jeeze, you don’t know if Frisk will even realize what you mean by ‘load a save.’

So, how can you explain it?

You think for a moment, before you raise your head and say.

"Look, kid. I know this looks bad.” You smile at them reassuringly as you continue. “But we can get out of this. All you have to do is...go back."

Frisk looks down at you in confusion, before they raise their gaze to peer behind you.

You let out a laugh as you shake your head.

"No, no that's not what I mean.” Adverting your gaze, you try to think of a way to clarify yourself. “I don’t mean go back over the bridge. I mean just…go back….” You pause for a second before you turn to the kid and give them a strained smile. “…in..in time.”

Frisk eyes narrow for a second, before they go wide in realization and their jaw goes slack.

They stare at you, and it makes you a bit uneasy. You don’t know if they’re staring at you like their scared or just surprised.

Either way, it causes you to panic a little.

“I-I mean. Yeah, I realized th-..I know about your power and honestly I don’t-..I'd rather you not have to use it at all.” You sigh as you look away, rubbing your leaves together nervously. “But we don't have a choice. We're stuck here, and the only way out is to go back to the last save."

After a moment, when the kid doesn’t say a word, you turn back to them with a sheepish smile and say. "So how ab-?"

Your smile falls and you immediately stop.

Frisk had pulled their knees up to their chest and had buried their face in them.

_Oh..oh no! Did I upset them?!?_

Feeling a bit uneasy, you lean closer to them.

“Hey I-”

However, as soon as your weight shifts you lose your balance and fall to the floor. As you hit the ground, you let out a little ‘oof’ before quickly recovering. You push yourself up with your leaves as you ask them. "H-hey! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to upset you.”

You watch as the kid shakes their head.

You’re so confused now.

“That’s not it?” You ask them as you try to catch their eye. “Then..then what’s wrong?”

At first you don’t hear a thing, but you wait patiently for them to speak up.

After a moment you hear a soft…muffled voice.

"I...."

You lean in closer to try to hear their quiet voice better.

There’s a brief moment of strained silence.

Then, barely audible, you hear Frisk say in a shaky voice.

"I- I don't know how..." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, next chapter will be posted on February 12th (UPDATE: will be delayed a bit. )
> 
> Just a quick note: As this chapter stated, things are changing. I don't want to reveal too much, but rest assured that everything will eventually make sense. Only reason I say this is because I am worried that if I change too much of the cannon story that people may become upset with me. I just want to assure everyone I have taken a lot of things in consideration when writing this and I think I have planned it so that, at least by Undertale's standards, it makes sense. Though, if you notice something that is a major plot whole (like one chapter I say one thing and in another chapter I say the exact opposite thing) please let me know and I will try my best to correct it. Thank you!


	33. The Urge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT CHANGE (ehh...not really) : I messed up on the last chapter. In my head I was trying to figure out how the laser beams would be placed. The way I was thinking is that they would be shining downward and at an angle from a node above. Which as I thought about it, it would be impossible for Dandy to be able to see over the lasers. So I EDITED the last chapter slightly.
> 
> I will be out of town for a week so I am sorry if I take longer to respond to comments. But I worked really hard on this chapter so I can finish it before I left, hopefully you like :D
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

You blink.

You're not quite sure if you had heard right.

"You...you don't..." You mutter in confusion.

As you push yourself off the ground, you wobble for a bit before regaining your balance. You watch as Frisk doesn’t make a move, they just continue to hide their face in their knees.

"You don't know how to load a save?" You ask.

Frisk hugs their knees even tighter as they shrink down a bit. You wait for a moment, but they don’t look up. Their lack of response only confirms you had indeed heard correctly.

Your brow furrows in confusion.

_That..._

You look away from them as your mind tries to process this new information.

_That can't be right._

It’s obvious that the kid understands your request. They know exactly what you want them to do.

But…

What do they mean by they ‘ _don’t know how’?_

Maybe they just can’t remember? Their memory seems pretty spotty to begin with. It’s hard to say what they can remember and what they can’t. Though, many of the things they seem to remember are things that they’ve done a million times. So, you’d think that loading a save would fall into that category.

But maybe it’s not that. Maybe it’s that they don't know how to load a save by themselves? Frisk has never been in control of their actions until now. You've been the one resetting this whole time, not them. But if that’s the case, then they shouldn’t remember how to solve puzzles or combat monsters either.

Though, to be fair…

All of those things take place within the game’s mechanics, don’t they?

Loading a save…that’s different.

It’s not something that’s built into the game. To return to the last save point, you always had to exit the game and reload it. Right?

So, maybe it’s not that the kid doesn’t know how…maybe they just… _can’t._

…

Well…

Theorizing isn’t going to get you out of this mess, is it?

Whatever the reason, the kid can’t help.

They can't go back in time voluntarily.

You sigh as you shake your head.

_There has to be another way._

Looking back to the kid, you see that they haven’t moved from their spot.

They still remain huddled tightly to their knees.

Something in your core aches.

_Poor kid…_

You give a gentle smile as you lean forward to try to catch the kid’s eye.

"It's-”

You lean too far.

You yelp in surprise and fall forward once more. You tumble face first to the floor and land with a tiny _thunk_. You groan in pain as you sit there, unmoving. After a moment, you pull yourself off the ground and wobble to your feet…or rather _roots_.

Jeeze! Your balance is really terrible like this, isn’t it?

Looking up at the kid, you see that you’ve caught their attention. They’ve lifted their head and are watching you curiously. Fresh tear marks decorate their cheeks. Guess they were crying again.

Something in your core tightens and you feel guilty.

Maybe you shouldn’t have asked, it seemed to upset them.

Giving them a comforting smile, you tell them in a soft voice.

“It’s ok.” You want to tap them on the leg reassuringly, but you’re afraid you’ll fall over if you do. So instead, you just continue. “Don't worry about it. We'll think of something else, ok?"

The kid sniffs and wipes their eyes on their sleeve. You watch as their legs lower and cross in front of them, signifying that they aren’t going to hide behind them anymore.

When the kid removes their sleeve from their eyes, they give a little nod. However, they still look worried.

But honestly, you’re a bit worried too.

You don’t know how long it will be before a monster finds you here, but you don’t want to wait long enough for that to happen.

You told them you wouldn’t let anything bad happen to them, and if a monster finds them here…

You lower your gaze as you try to think of a solution.

It’s then that you get an idea, but you don’t think it will work.

"Maybe...”You mutter, wondering if you should even suggest it.

_Might as well try._

Raising your gaze, you ask Frisk. “Maybe we could try calling someone?"

Frisk’s eyes light up as they say in a small voice. “Papyrus.”

At the mention of his name, you feel a bit hopeful. Papyrus did say that if the kid needed anything to just call him. He’d be perfect!

Frisk hurriedly takes out their phone. They push a few buttons and hold it up to their ear.

The phone is silent for a moment.

Then, all you can hear is a beeping sound.

You instantly deflate. You had a feeling this would happen, but you had hoped…

"No signal, huh?" You ask as Frisk lowers the phone, looking rather crestfallen. They shake their head.

"Should've figured.” You mumble as you advert your gaze.

_The phone had never worked to call him here, anyways._

You look back at the kid, who is busily trying to dial another number. You have a feeling which one. “And Alphys probably won't answer."

The phone rings for a moment, but no one picks up.

You sigh as you mutter to yourself. "Yeah, figured as much."

So, there goes that idea.

_There has to be another way._

You twist around to view the problem at hand. The motion causes you to wobble slightly, but you quickly steady yourself. You study the path before you, trying to take in as much information about it as you can.

The floor is plated in solid metal sheets, fitted together tightly so nothing can slip through. The bridge is barricaded on either side and lined with the same metal plating. The barriers are twice as tall as you are and run the entire length of the bridge. The lasers obscure your view some, making it a bit difficult to see the other side. What you can make of it, it seems like the barricades merge with the wall of the corridor. A few feet after the bridge ends, the floor plating is replaced by a metal grate. This detail would be more useful if there was a grate on this side of the room as well, but you know there isn’t. You had looked over the room earlier and didn’t see a thing.

A bright red object catches your attention on the opposite wall.

You glare it.

The button feels like it’s mocking you from across the room. It’s right there, right in front of you. But you’re not close enough to reach it. The unnecessarily long bridge made sure of that.

It’s then that you get another idea.

"That button, I wonder if I can..." You quietly mumble.

This might not work. After all, you’ve never fired at something so far away before.

But, you have to try.

You attempt to focus on the button, but it’s difficult with all the orange and blue lights shining across your vision.

_I…I think I got it._

You rear back.

But the motion causes you lose your balance once more. You wobble and your leaves fly out to help steady yourself. Something from behind grabs your stem and you suddenly feel more secure. With the pellet still in your mouth, you turn to see Frisk holding onto you.

You smile gratefully at the kid, the pellet squishing against your cheek. Turning back to your target, you take aim once more.

You rear back and fire.

The pellet zooms through the air before it seems to burst and disintegrate before your eyes.

You stare at it in confusion for a second. Then, you realize what had happened.

The lasers.

You must’ve hit a blue one.

You groan.

That's right. Your pellets must be made of organic matter, so they’re affected by the beams as well.

Well, it didn’t matter.

The way the little bullet was going, it wouldn’t have hit the button anyways.

Heck, it wasn't even close!

Guess you’re not use to shooting things from his far away, huh?

Despite this, you decide to keep trying.

You continue to fire shots at the button. Some of them are aimed better than others, but none of them make it past the beams.

Frisk even tries to help by picking you up and holding you at different heights and angles. They even dangle you over the side of bridge just to try to get a better viewpoint but you still don’t have a clear shot at it.

All it does is freak you out a bit.

Guess you still don’t like heights, huh?

Once you presume the button unreachable, you turn your attention to the nearby control panel. After taking a few shots at it you realize that, despite the panel being much closer, there’s still a problem. Frisk has to hold you up so you can get a good angle to shoot. However, the nodes that are the source for the lasers are located above the bridge and slightly towards the right. The lasers fan out across the bridge, but they all come from a single point. Meaning, the lasers are more condensed towards the source of the beam then towards the floor.

So, attempting to shoot past beams of lasers when they are almost to their most condensed point AND hit buttons in a precise order….

Needless to say, did not work.

You sigh in defeat as you motion for Frisk to set you down. The kid lowers you and you spread your roots to stabilize yourself. As they let go, you sway but only slightly. You seem to be getting use to balancing on the floor like this.

But you’re too worn-out to celebrate this small accomplishment.

You didn't sleep well last night, and you’re starting to feel it.

Rubbing your face warily with your leaves, you try to think of something else to try.

You’re exhausted and you’re starting to run out of ideas.

You stare at the beams before you, trying desperately to come up with a solution.

But no answer comes to mind.

_There has got to be another way._

If only Frisk could load a save…

Things would be so much easier.

You could go back, push the button, and move on.

This whole scenario wouldn’t ever happen.

And heck, you probably wouldn’t remember it either.

All this stress and frustration….

If only they could…

But they couldn’t.

Well…at least voluntarily.

You frown as you remember.

There was only one way the game automatically loads to the last save.

But you refuse to even consider it as an option.

You feel terrible just thinking about it!

You told them you would keep them safe.

That you wouldn’t let anything bad happen to them.

They’re your friend, they trust you.

And you refuse to hurt them just to take the easy way out.

_There **has** to be another way._

Pushing the previous thoughts aside, you look up at the beams before you once more

Each fan of lasers stretches across the path before you. As they shine downward from their source, they spread.

_Wait…_

As you continue to study the beams, the gears in your head begin to turn.

The spaces between the tiny beams grow larger as they near the floor. At your eye level, they are only a couple inches wide. Not wide enough to do anything with.

However, the beam is also angled. So, this should also mean that the spaces are bigger on the left than on the right.

Your gaze focuses on the left side of the bridge. You’re correct. The gaps on the left are bigger.

They must be at least 3 inches or so wide.

_It’s just big enough if…_

You think it would work, but it’s a bit risky.

Heck…it’s _incredibly_ risky.

The ground is so compact and smooth you can’t get a grip on anything.

Your balance like this is terrible! If you stumble…

It’s gonna hurt.

And you can’t come back to life like Frisk can.

But…but you’ve tried everything!

You’ve explored every avenue you could think of!

There’s nothing more in the room around you.

There’s no help you can call.

And no way to hit the any of the buttons from here.

It was either this or…

No…there was just _this_.

Gulping down a lump in your throat, you lower your gaze.

You take a deep breathe in, and a deep breathe out.

You had wanted to be more helpful before and now’s your chance.

Frisk needs you.

They’re depending on you.

You can do this.

Just...

**_“just, take a little bit at a time. you can do that, can't ya?"_ **

You feel your heart sink a bit as you remember Sans’ words. The ones when he was helping you climb down the cliff.

He seemed so genuine back then…but…

You shake your head, now’s not the time for that.

Looking ahead, you gaze at the lasers before you.

A twinge of fear sinks in.

_There’s…there’s so many._

Your eyes drift to the opposite side of the room.

To the bright red button on the other side.

It’s then that you feel it.

That urge…

The one that’s been pushing you to keep going.

It’s so strong now.

You feel it directing you to the other side of the bridge.

To the wall on the opposing side…

To the bright red button.

That sensation seems to fill you, pushing all thoughts of fear aside.

You glare at the button defiantly.

You know what you need to do.

_I want to help…and I’m **going** to._

You turn slightly, not taking your eyes off the beams as if they were to attack you at any moment.

"Frisk." You say to the child behind you.

Motioning with your leaf, you command them in a serious tone.

"Stay here."

Taking a deep breath, you begin to move forward.

Then proceed to fall flat on your face.

You growl as you lay on the solid metal floor.

Well, that tension deescalated quickly.

_Right…the flooring._

You suppose you’ll have to figure out how to move first, huh?

Standing back up, you look down at your roots.

_How am I going to do this?_

You don’t think your mind can coordinate moving each root simultaneously. But what if you moved them in groups?

Like, two of them. So it would mimic walking on two legs.

You think that would work.

It takes a few tries, but eventually you get into a rhythm and make it over to the first set of beams.

Orange lasers are in front of you now. Behind them you see a series of blue lasers, followed by orange again.

So, you’ll have to move through the first one and stop before you hit the next one. There's not quite a foot between the two colors so you'll have to be careful. If you fall or stumble you'll hit the blue lasers and get hurt.

You ready yourself as you take a deep breath.

Then, you quickly step through the beams. You immediately stop yourself as soon as you pass through the orange beam. The abrupt halt causes you to wobble a bit and one of your petals clips a tiny blue beam. You wince but you try to remain focus on staying upright. Once you’re steady, you breathe a sigh of relief.

_One down._

Next, the blue.

You study it.

You need to squeeze through the space in between the small lasers. The space isn’t very big here. You’ll need to move over to the left side of the bridge where the gap is bigger.

Maybe you should’ve done that first, huh? Well, too late now. You’ll have to shift over a bit.

Cautiously, you side step as far as you can to the left side of the bridge. The position of the laser makes the gap closest to the wall nearly impossible to fit through, so you’ll have to go through the gap next to it. Which is a bummer. You could’ve used the wall for support.

You study the gap before you as you plot your next move carefully.

The spaces are wider here, but still not wide enough to fit your petals straight on.

You’ll have to turn sideways.

And because the gap is angled…you'll need to lean.

Great. You’re unstable enough as it is.

But you shouldn’t have to lean too much.

It should be ok.

_Just, a little at a time._

You turn your body sideways and move closer to the lasers. Once you’re in reach, you sneak some of your roots past, and then you start moving your body through. You go as slowly as possible, making sure to you keep your balance.

Halfway through the gap, you feel a thrill of delight.

_It's working, I'm gonna-_

You feel your body begin to tilt forward.

You panic. You don't know what to do.

Do you lean backwards into a laser or forwards into more lasers?

Hastily, you make a decision. You tilt your body so that you’re falling forward, but slightly to the side as well. You fall past the laser in front of you, watching it narrowly miss your petals. A stinging sensation erupts in your roots as you land on the ground. You let out a breath of air as the wind is knocked out of you. You lay on the ground, stunned as your roots continue to burn. After a moment, the pain subsides and you snap out of your dazed state.

Opening your eyes, you look up at the ceiling above. Somehow, you had flipped yourself fast enough to land on your back. There’s a dull throbbing pain in your roots, and when you sit up you can see why.

A few of your minor roots look a bit singed. They must've caught the laser when you fell.

It hurts, but the damage isn’t as bad as it feels.

You sigh.

_That was too close._

A whining sound causes you to perk up.

Looking back the way you came, you see the kid kneeling down. Frisk had scooted as close as they could to the lasers. There is a shimmer to their gaze as they look at you, appearing as if they might start crying at any moment.

Frisk’s hand is held out, wanting to help but too afraid to touch the beams before them.

They look so worried.

Trying to reassure them, you force a smile. "Hey kid, don't look so glum. I'm fine. It's just a little burn."

Their hand pulls back, clutching tightly over their chest as their lip presses into a firm line.

Seems like your words didn’t really help, they still look rather distraught.

But they will have to manage a bit longer.

After all, you still have a lot of beams to go.

“Just stay there, ok?”

Frisk doesn’t respond, but you decide to just keep going for now.

If you keep trying to console them, you’ll be here forever.

You turn to the next ray of lasers you have to go through.

Orange ones.

You stare at them for a second, then down at your roots. You’re in a tight spot, if you lose your balance while getting up.

Well...

Maybe you don't have to get up?

You smile at your cleverness before you lay back down. You scoot closer to the beam, and then quickly roll underneath it.

As you come to a stop on the other side, you let out an exhausted breath. That was tougher than you had thought. You sit up and look over at the kid, who might possibly look even more worried.

You grin widely at them.

"See! Nothing to worry about! We’ll be out of here in no time!"

With that you turn to look at the next set of lasers and your smile falters.

You still have a long way to go.

But, you have to keep going.

You have to get to the other side.

_They need my help, I can’t back out now._

You stand up and flinch as you put weight on your injured roots. You'll have to be careful to protect them more. You forgot that they can be really sensitive.

You keep most of your weight off of those roots as you walk closer to the next set.

It is a few feet before you stop in front of the next group. A ray of blue, and then the rest are orange.

You smile, this shouldn't be too hard. You turn sideways and move through the blue lasers, careful not to fall again. You make it through the blue beam just fine, but as you exit the gap you lose your balance and stumble forward.

You stagger pass both orange sets of beams before you finally lose your fight with gravity and fall forward. You land painfully on the metal plated floor before skidding across it. As you come to a halt, you can't help but groan.

That one hurt.

You push yourself off the ground and take a moment to compose yourself.

You rub your face with your leaves.

Jeeze, you really need to be more careful. Otherwise stupid stuff like this was going to happen.

You stand up once more, and take a moment to just breathe and relax.

Two more groups to go. You're already half way there.

You feel a sense of joyful triumph fill you.

You’re doing it, and other than a few minor bumps and burns you’re doing fine.

_This isn’t so bad._

Smiling, you turn to the next set.

And your smile immediately falls.

Blue.

All the beams before you…are blue.

You feel something in your core drop.

You kinda forgot about this group.

Maybe because it was so easy to solve, all you had to do was press the middle button.

But now…

Now this is going to be a pain.

A small part of you considers turning around and heading back. It would be a lot easier than going forward at this point. But, what good would that do?

This was the only way.

You gulp down a lump in your throat as you hesitantly approach the beams.

When you reach them, you sit and stare.

If you lose your balance while moving through the beams then it's going to be even harder to get back up.

You don't know how much HP you technically have, or how bad you'll be hurt if the beams catch more than just a bit of you.

But you don't feel like you’re on your death bed, so your HP should still be good.

Besides, if you can take being strangled by a psychotic plant than you can handle a few burns.

You turn sideways, and very carefully start entering the beams. As you move forward, you feel yourself start to lose your balance. Frantically, you shift your weight and stumble back. You frown at the lasers. Huffing, you try to squeeze past again. But you tilt slightly, and in fear you pull away from them once more.

You try again, but you barley put a root in before you decide against it and step back once more.

You’re beginning to frustrate yourself. You're so worried that you’re gonna fall over that you’re too nervous to try anything. You look from different angles at the beam, trying to figure out the best way to go through them. You try to position yourself a couple different ways, but you immediately back out when you feel like it’s not going to work.

You scowl. This is stupid! This whole thing was just flippin stupid!

_I swear whoever put that dumb note there was gonna get a good...kick in the...up the...I don’t even know...but they were gonna get something!! That's for sure!_

After you've internally cursed the person who was in charge of ruining your life, you cross your leaves in front of you and you glare harshly at the rays before you.

You try to focus on how you were going to get through them. But instead, your building frustration causes your mind to go elsewhere.

_This stupid-urrgg!!_

_What am I supposed to even **do** about this?_

_Nothing I try is going to work._

_I’m going to fall over, get hurt, and probably freakin’ die if I try to get up again._

_I should’ve just stayed with Frisk._

_Stayed and waited for a monster to come by, kill Frisk and force a reset._

_But NOOOO!_

_I had to go and try to help. I had to-_

You stop your rant, startled by your own thoughts. You trace back over them as your brow furrows in confusion.

_Wait….what did I just…_

Did…

Did you just brush over Frisk’s death like it was nothing?

_Where did that come from?_

You’re…you’re probably just tired.

Tired and cranky.

You’re thinking these things out of frustration. You wouldn’t really do that to the kid. They’re your friend and you could never let something like that happen to them.

_Though, if Frisk did die…they would just come back, wouldn’t they? They would be forced to go back to the last save and it would be like this never happened…._

You shake your head.

_I shouldn’t be thinking about this. I need to be finding a way through these beams._

But if Frisk is forced to reset, you wouldn’t have to worry about it, would you?

_But I don’t want to hurt them! I just want to help!_

You wouldn’t hurt them, and you would be helping. Look, if you die here…there is no guarantee that you’ll come back. Frisk could just continue to the end without dying and you’ll be just _gone_. You will no longer exist. You won’t get out of here, you wo-

_Stop it! Why am I still **thinking** about this?!_

You shake your head again. Something isn’t right.

Closing your eyes for a moment, you try to focus on what you’re feeling.

You’re…you’re a bit surprised by what you feel.

There’s a part of you that is worried about what’s going on with you, it’s worried that something might be happening to you, and is worried that Frisk may end up hurt.

But it isn’t strong.

It feels faded…frail…like at any moment it could just break and disappear completely.

Other than that, all you feel is weary and irritated.

A shiver of dread crawls up your spine, but it doesn’t feel as potent as it should.

You know what’s happening.

And it has the worst timing.

Your emotions are fading again.

_What do I do?_

Your logic keeps telling you that it’s too hard to go forward.

That you won’t be able to make it if you do.

That it would be easier to just go back to Frisk and wait.

_No! I have to keep going._

You’ll die if you do.

_No, no I won’t!_

Listen, either you can keep going with a high probability of death or you could go back and wait.

_But then Frisk will die!_

Frisk will be fine. Their determination will let them come back.

_N-no! I said I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to them! I said­-_

They aren’t real.

Everything is just a game.

Frisk is just a video game character.

_But…but.._

They aren’t real.

None of this is real.

The only thing that’s real here is you.

And you’re about to make a stupid decision, risking your life for someone that doesn’t even exist.

You take a deep breath.

You are so confused.

That part that cares is still struggling against the part that’s right.

_What do I do?_

_I…I don’t want to hurt anyone._

_But I wouldn’t be hurting them…_

_No! They would still be getting hurt because of me!_

_But… they aren’t real. They’re just a video game character…_

_They aren’t real…so why do I even **care**?_

_Why do I-_

“Dandy?”

You spin around. Frisk is still kneeling in front of the beams, looking even more distressed than they had before.

Oh…

You didn’t realize it but that entire time you had just been staring blankly at the lasers.

That must’ve looked pretty weird.

The kid continues to stare at you, and you realize they are expecting some kind of answer.

“I’m….” You begin, but you’re not really sure what to say. Your compassion is faded but it’s still there. You think you shouldn’t worry the kid any more than you had already. You force a small smile. “I’m ok. I’m just…” You pause for a moment as you think of an excuse. “I’m just taking a break.”

This doesn’t seem to comfort Frisk in the slightest. They gaze back at you for a second, before they start to search the area around them for something unknown.

They don’t seem to find it because they soon look back towards you.

They stare at you…but….

No..they’re not looking at you.

They seem to be staring at the beams in front of them.

A determined expression crosses their features.

You watch them in confusion as they stand up and take a few steps back.

_What are they-_

Frisk rushes the beams.

Alarm suddenly sparks inside you.

“Wha-? Hey!” You shout, but Frisk doesn’t even flinch.

They run through the lasers, stumbling as the blue beams singe them.

_What are they doing?!_

You watch as the kid trips and falls forward, landing harshly on the metal surface of the bridge. They slide across the surface for a moment before coming to a halt just short of the next set of beams. They are still. Smoke emits from spots on their body that had touched the damaging laser.

For a moment, you think that they might not be getting back up. The thought makes your gut wrench, the concern you feel for them seeming to grow stronger with each second.

“F-frisk?” You call, but they don’t move. Something in your throat tightens, followed by the familiar clenching of guilt in your core.

_Oh…oh no…This is my-_

You hear a moan.

A wave of relief covers you as you watch Frisk pull themselves to their hands and knees. Their hair is covering their face as a bright red light shines near their chest.

Relief is replaced with panic as the kid makes a move to stand.

“Frisk! Stop!” You shout to them as you motion with your leaves to wait. “Just…just stay there!”

The kid seems to heed your call. Instead of standing, the kid sits back on their heels. They look up at you, pain evident in their features as they hold their shoulder tightly. Their eyes are watery, but no tears have fallen yet. Their bright soul hovers in front of them, waiting for the danger to pass before returning inside. It’s hard to see the state of it from here. The lasers are obscuring your view.

You look up from their soul to Frisk’s face.

“Are you ok?” You ask, and they nod their head.

You’re not sure if you really believe them. They just jumped through a beam of flippin’ lasers for crying out loud! You can’t help but keep glancing down at their soul, trying to get a glimpse of it.

Trying to see if there’s any indication that they had been seriously harmed.

“Ok, look.” You look down at it, then back up to Frisk. “I’m ok too.” You look down once more as Frisk shifts slightly. “Really! Just-”

It’s then that you see it.

Frisk’s soul.

When they had shifted in their seat, the soul had moved.

Now, you can see it very clearly through the beams.

There’s a crack in it.

A very…very large crack.

“…Just..”

How easy would it be if you jus-

_No!_

You shake your head as you try desperately to focus on the emotions you’re feeling.

_I don’t want to hurt anyone!!_

You turn away from Frisk quickly, surprisingly still keeping your balance.

You shouldn’t let your mind wander like that. Your emotions seem stronger than they had been before, but they’re still frail.

Your thoughts are still able to overtake them.

It feels like a tug of war inside your head.

You don’t know how long it will be before the weaker side wears out.

This is bad.

This is what you were afraid of.

You can’t continue like this.

_What do I do?_

You raise your gaze.

Your eyes focus on the end of the bridge, to the grated surface of the floor, to the opposing wall, and finally to the button.

The sensation you felt before returns, urging you forward.

Suddenly, your goal becomes very clear.

You know what you need to do.

Steeling yourself, you turn back to Frisk

You don’t smile.

You don’t console them.

You don’t tell a stupid joke.

Or give them guidance.

Instead, you tell them very firmly. “Don’t. Move.”

They give you a surprised and confused look, but you ignore it.

You turn back to the beams.

There’s something inside you, it feels almost hectic. Like you just want to rush past the beams in a single leap just to get through them faster, but you have enough sense to stop yourself from doing that.

You can figure this out, just focus.

There has got to be a way past these. You need to think.

It takes only a moment before it hits you.

It’s so obvious.

If you’re worried about falling, then just make it so you can’t.

You try not to think of anything else as you back away from the lasers. When you get far enough away, you lean forward.

You hit the ground and let out an involuntary “ _oof!”_

But you only take a moment to recover before you look to the beams ahead.

Using your leaves and roots in unison, you crawl across the ground.

When you reach the beams, you turn your head sideways and pull your leaves inside your body. You use your roots to push yourself partway through, then you switch. As half of you passes through the other side, you pop your leaves out and pull your roots in. You use your arms to propel yourself through the rest of the way. There isn’t much room between each set of beams, just enough for you to wiggle your way through the next gap. You zig zag yourself through the middle ray of beams easily, as well as the last one.

As you stand on the other side, you don’t take the time to rest.

The emotions you had felt earlier are beginning to dim once more.

You don’t focus on it though, you can’t.

You need to hurry, before you allow yourself to get anymore funny ideas.

Concentrating on the urge still pushing you forward, you quickly head over to the final set of beams.

They go in the order of blue, orange, blue.

_Easy_

You lie down, and once again slide across the floor. You sneak past the first beam, then hastily crawl past the other one before sliding through the last one.

You stand up on the other side of the beams, you’re finally out.

But other than satisfaction, you feel nothing.

You try not to think too much about what you’re planning to do next. If you did, you’d probably convince yourself that it was a stupid idea.

So, instead you focus on the compulsion to keep going.

You head over to the button.

After a few feet, the ground changes textures. The slick metallic surface is replaced by a grated floor. The air rushing upwards cools your tired roots as you wrap them around the gaps in the vent. Feeling more stable, you quickly approach the button.

You look up at it, you aim, and you fire.

It’s a direct hit.

Behind you, you can hear the power shutting down.

Almost immediately afterward, you hear the metallic sounds of footsteps quickly approaching.

You feel the vibrations in the floor as Frisk gets closer, and closer.

You spin around.

Frisk is near the end of the bridge now. Their soul is back in their body and they are looking at you with a concerned expression.

The urge refocuses, and you follow it.

The kid is trying to reach you.

You can’t let them.

Quickly, you take aim.

You fire.

The pellet zooms through the air.

It hits the floor near Frisk’s feet before ricocheting off to somewhere unknown.

Frisk stops, their eyes wide with surprise.

Your feelings are gone, so you can’t feel bad for what your about to do.

There is a tiny bit of guilt that comes forth, but it’s not enough to dissuade you.

In a calm…even voice you tell them. “Stay away.”

Frisk’s eyes widen further, looking confused and hurt by your words.

A pain begins to blossom in your core.

But you push on. This is something you have to do.

“Don’t try to find me. You won’t.” You feel your voice weaver slightly. The feelings were beginning to come back.

But you can’t stop. If you hesitate you are going to make a mistake.

You can’t stay with them anymore.

Even if your emotions resurface, there’s no telling when they will disappear again.

You could hurt them.

You could kill them.

You can’t let that happen.

You need to leave.

Frisk gazes at you, their eyes beginning to water. Their head shakes slightly as their hand reaches towards you. They open their mouth, like they want to say something but no words come out. Your eyes feel a bit blurry as well, and you feel like you are going to be sick.

You want to tell them that you’re sorry, but you don’t think it’s right.

The way your emotions are right now…

Well…If you apologize now…

Your heart wouldn’t really be in it, would it?

Frisk takes a step forward and you know that you’ve stayed too long.

You need to leave _now._

“Remember your promise!” You hastily exclaim before you pull yourself in and duck into the vent below.

As you feel the air rush past you and you realize that this was probably a stupid decision.

You have no idea where these vents even went.

Your tiny form bounces against the walls as you continue to just go where the vents take you.

After a few moments, you feel yourself shoot upwards. You fly through the air until you sense yourself bounce across another surface.

This one, not so artificial.

As you come to a stop, you wait for a moment.

Then, you pop yourself out.

As you lay face first on the ground, letting out an irritated groan.

_That was really…really stupid._

You pry yourself off the ground and look at your surroundings.

You don’t recognize this place, but the rocky ground and the bright red lava pools indicated that you were somewhere in Hotland.

Well, guess you know where the vents go now.

Maybe if you had actually navigated yourself through them instead of just falling in your compact form it would’ve been less painful. And you could’ve controlled where you ended up.

But it didn’t matter.

It got you away from the kid.

That was stupid. You were at the end weren’t you? You didn’t need to worry about killing them anymore.

_I could’ve just sta-_

You stop that thought.

Taking a brief moment, you search for your emotions.

Nothing.

They were gone again.

But the _urge…_

It feels stronger than ever.

It’s not exactly an emotion, nor is it a thought.

So, you’re not really sure _why_ it’s even there.

Or why you’re paying attention to it for that matter.

Just that at this point, you can’t help it.

You _need_ to follow it.

You pry yourself off the ground, a single thought repeating over and over.

_This is stupid…this is so freaking stupid…so…_

Even as this thought passes your mind, you still continue to work on standing.

Once upright, you plant your roots firmly into the ground before quickly ducking yourself under the earth.

After you get your bearings, you start heading towards the one place you know where Frisk will never find you.

The place where you feel that you _need_ to go.

The Ruins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter I plan to post Sunday Feb 26th, though because this chapter was delayed that one may be delayed as well. I don't think it will, but I will keep you posted on that.


	34. Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter...I forgot how to write Dandy without emotions so this chapter was a bit harder than I thought. Plus, there were a few things I wanted to establish here before moving into the other chapters. Hope you like though.
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

You zoom through the earth, the cold particles of dirt and ice whipping past you.

_Almost there…_

Your journey to the Ruins is almost over, and so far it's been pretty uneventful.

Hotland had been by far the most difficult. You had to think carefully and plan accordingly as you navigated under pools of lava and around mechanical constructs. Though, your confidence in your abilities made these tasks much easier to accomplish.

The enormous cliff that you were so nervous of only days earlier was by far the most simple to cross.

In one swift movement, you had ducked under the ground, navigated the terrain, and popped up on the other side only moments later.

It was a huge accomplishment for you and you were a bit proud of yourself.

But that was it.

You should've been happy, ecstatic, delighted. But without your emotions, you didn't feel any of that.

Regardless, you kept going.

You navigated Waterfall with ease until you made it all the way to Snowdin.

Zooming through the snow covered land was, by far, the easiest. The terrain was simple, only consisting of a few cliffs and environmental oddities.

As you continue on your way, zooming through the icy ground, you try to concentrate on navigating to your destination.

You focus on the vibrations around you, the upcoming areas you are approaching, and the obstacles you’ll need to avoid.

You try not to think of anything else.

_That should’ve been the frozen lake I just went under. After this area, there are only a few more to go. The area with Doggo’s sentry station, then Papyrus’ is next, after that is the storage box area, then...then..._

_…_

_This is stupid…_

You feel yourself slow down a bit as this thought enters your mind.

_Why am I doing this?_

_What is the point of running to the Ruins?_

_This doesn’t make any sense…_

You stop moving forward as your mind continues to try to find any form of logic behind your actions.

_We got past the puzzle. It was done. So why-_

You shiver as the cold begins to seep into your core, snapping you out of your thoughts.

Right, it’s freezing here. If you don’t keep moving you’re going to turn into a popsicle.

Besides, you told yourself a thousand times that you’ll figure out what you’re doing once you get to the Ruins.

For now, you feel compelled to keep going.

You need to.

…

But...

Better figure out exactly where you are first.

You try to remember.

_I should be by Papyrus’ shack? Or Doggo’s? No, I think I passed Doggo’s…._

You inwardly groan.

Great, you had distracted yourself and you don’t remember where you are anymore.

You’ll have to check your surroundings… _again!_

You erupt out of the ground and immediately wince.

_Damnit!_

Those roots of yours are really getting sore, aren’t they?

When you had started your journey, you had barely noticed your injuries. You were in too much of a rush to really pay attention to them.

It wasn't until you started slowing down that you really began to notice them.

The few burns on your petals were a bit sore, but tolerable. However, your sensitive roots were a different story.

It seemed like the more you traveled, the more your burned roots started to hurt. Probably because every time you had to check where you were, you had to pop them out. You were irritating them, but you could not prevent it. When you pop yourself out, you can’t keep anything in. You are unsure why. Maybe it had something to do with the force you excreted to break yourself out of your compact state? You’re not certain, but it was impossible to prevent it. It was a reflex, like closing your eyes when you sneezed.

Every time you checked your surroundings, you had to pop your roots out…

And they’re starting to become very uncomfortable.

_Stupid roots._

Your grimace gradually relaxes as the ice cold ground slowly begins to numb them.

That was the one good thing about traveling through the icy tundra.

Instant ice pack.

You exhale in relief as you look around quickly, inspecting the area to get your bearings.

_Looks like I’m-_

You freeze. Your whole body grows ridged as your eyes fall on a familiar wooden structure.

It’s not Doggo’s sentry station…or Papyrus’….

It’s Sans’…

And it’s only a few feet away.

A slight chill runs through you, but not from the cold.

Remaining as still as possible, you keep your eyes trained on the structure, trying to detect any sign movement coming from inside. A few moments pass, but nothing. The environment around you is still, you hear its familiar song as magic courses though it….but nothing else.

From what you can tell, Sans isn’t here.

You relax a little but the uneasiness refuses to go away.

It’s almost like you’re…afraid?

You close your eyes for a second and focus, curious to see if your emotions were returning.

You wait for a moment.

…

Nothing.

Other than the slight uneasiness you feel, there is nothing else.

You huff as you look up at the sentry station once more.

You’ve noticed this happening in Hotland as well. When you are in a dangerous situation, a situation where you could very potentially be harmed…you feel something.

It’s something akin to fear, but not quite. It’s more like a warning. Like your mind is trying to keep you safe by imitating fear.

Seems like that even in your current state your mind can still fabricate some emotions when necessary, but not all.

Joy, hope, sadness, compassion, love…

Every time you check to see if these may be returning, you find nothing…

They’re just...not there.

_What is taking so long? They’ve never-_

You feel the cold begin to creep up your roots and into your stem, reminding yourself that you need to keep moving.

Shifting your gaze, you spy the path that leads to the Ruins.

Without another moment’s hesitation, you duck underground and follow it. Making sure to leave the sentry station far behind.

You keep going, only focusing on the vibrations around you and where you need to go.

You zoom under the earth, maneuvering around the small ravine as you continue forward.

It only takes a few moments before you feel the earth around you suddenly change.

The icy chill you had felt only moments ago disappears, becoming something much more temperate.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why.

As soon as you cross the threshold, you pop out of the ground.

A stinging sensation erupts from your singed roots, causing you to flinch.

You hiss as your eyes squeeze shut. After a few seconds the pain dulls to an annoying throb.

You open your eyes.

The room around you is very dark. So much so that you can't even make out the walls. The cavern only has one source of light which comes from a single hole in the ceiling. The light shines down onto a patch of bright green grass. As you glance behind you, you’re able to see a faint outline of a large door.

The door to the Ruins.

You made it.

As you turn to face forward once more, you let out a little huff.

Jeeze, that took longer than expected.

Exactly how long, you didn’t know. You were never very good at estimating time.

But it had to have taken you at least an hour.

You were fast underground, but all the obstacles you had to deal with had slowed you down a ton.

Well, it didn’t matter.

You’re here now.

The Ruins.

….

…

....

Now what?

You finally got to the place you needed to go but what do you do with yourself now?

Do you just sit and wait for Frisk to finish the game?

….

Well…

You suppose that’s what you’ll have to do.

Frowning, you feel frustration boil inside you.

_This is so stupid! They don't know what they're doing! It could take them hours!_

With the urge now satisfied, you finally begin to process what it was you just did.

_Why am I even here? The puzzle was done, we could’ve just continued. Why did I need to come here?_

Your brain tries to come up with an explanation, but it can’t.

You had just felt like you needed to come to the Ruins.

You remember the emotions you felt before…but you can’t understand why you felt them anymore. Why did you care about the kid? They weren’t even real.

Then, when your emotions were gone, all you could feel was that… _urge._

It’s odd.

You had barely noticed it before, but it’s been steadily growing stronger.

Now, without your emotions, it seems like it had escalated. Or maybe your emotions had disguised it? It was hard to say. Either way, it’s become hard to ignore now. It feels stronger than it had the day you were pulled into your computer.

But you have no idea why it’s even here, what it’s trying to have you do, or what it exactly is. The only word you can come up with to even describe it is an _urge_ …but even that doesn’t seem right.

Either way, you had followed it. Now you were here, with no reason why.

And it’s frustrating the hell out of you.

_This is stupid!! Everything is so fucking stupid! Why?! Why am I here?! Why do I have to be stuck here and just-_

You let out a frustrated groan.

After a moment, you try to calm down.

It‘s no use to go on a pointless tangent.

You take a deep breath in, and you let it out. After repeating this a couple of times, you try to come up with a plan.

You could go back. It wouldn’t take you that long to find the kid and get them to the end of the game. They only had to fight Mettaton, Asgore, and Flowey.

…

Right?

…

You don’t really know if that’s true anymore.

Things have changed.

You’re not sure how much.

So really…

You’re pretty useless now, aren’t you?

Seriously, what could you do that the kid couldn’t? They proved that they could handle themselves just fine. They don’t need you. Even death can’t stop them, which the same can’t be said for you.

You don’t know why you needed to come to the Ruins, but it just makes sense to stay.

_I'll be safe here. I won't have to worry about getting hurt or dying. I should just stay here until the game ends._

After all, they promised to get to the end.

They trust you, so you know they’ll do as you say.

Granted, it might take them a while. You told the kid to not come looking for you, but you don’t put it past them to at least try. However, once they realize you can’t be found they’ll continue to the end.

So, you just have to wait.

You take a deep breath and as you let it out you feel your tense form begin to relax.

Everything feels…just completely drained.

With your journey over, you can finally feel fatigue begin to set in.

Maybe it would be best to find a place to sleep….

And probably get away from the door.

Not like anyone could come through. But...there were a few that could.

One in particular you’d rather not run into.

You hadn't forgotten about your creepy counterpart. You know he's out there somewhere. Though, now that you aren’t helping Frisk anymore he should leave you alone.

But..

This was Flowey you were talking about here...

Who knows what the little weed is really thinking.

Plus, this area is usually visited by Toriel.

You don’t think she would react well to you.

The only talking flower she had ever seen was attacking a “poor innocent youth.”

Best just to try to find a dark and quiet corner to sleep in.

You duck underground, wincing as your root is pulled in.

After getting your bearings, you push yourself forward.

You zoom under Toriel’s house and head deeper into the Ruins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is going to be fairly short as well, but hopefully I will be able to post sooner than usual. The absolute latest I will be posting chapter 35 will be 3/26 (though I am hoping to post it as soon as 3/12)


	35. Fallen Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for this chapter to post. I actually wasn't sure if I should write it or just skip to the next one. Buuuttt...I decided to anyways...and it was a pain to write. I'm still not happy with it, but hopefully you all still like it.
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

You pop out of the ground, involuntarily letting out a yelp as pain erupts from your roots.

Immediately, you cover your mouth.

_Freakin-A!_

You quickly glance around, worried that someone might’ve heard you. For once the room appears vacant, there is not a single monster in sight.

Which can’t be said for all the other areas you’ve checked.

You’ve been zooming through the Ruins for a while now but you haven’t found a good place to rest yet.

All the other areas had been occupied by a Froggit, a Whimsun, or some other monster that you’d rather not deal with right now.

At first, you thought it was because there were way more monsters in the Ruins than you had originally believed. But after traveling a bit, you realized that you were seeing the exact same monsters more than once. So, it wasn’t that there were more than you figured, just that they seemed to move around a lot.

Lucky for you, this was the first room that you’ve come across that was completely empty. So no one heard your pathetic little squeak.

Lowering your leaves, you huff in irritation.

The pain from your roots had surprised you but you should’ve expected it. Ever since you left Snowdin the pain had been getting increasingly worse. Guess without the icy cold ground to sooth them they’ve just been getting more and more irritated.

Now, the pain is starting to become excruciating. The best way to describe it would be that it felt like you were rubbing your nerves raw each time you surfaced.

You glare at the ground where your tender roots are buried.

The pain had subsided some, but they continue to emit an uncomfortable throb.

You need to settle on a place to rest soon, before you do some real damage to yourself.

You look up and begin to survey the area. You remember this room from the game and…wait. You’ve stopped here before, haven’t you? This is where you got a drink of water after you first woke up. When you were on your way _out_ of the Ruins.

Huh..

Who would have thought that you’d see this place again?

Everything looks the same, right down to the arrows drawn on the wall next to the switches.

_Nothing has changed here._

You think you should feel sentimental about it, but you can’t. Instead, you continue to evaluate the room.

The gravel coating the pathway appears loose and not as trampled as the other rooms. This area probably didn’t have a lot of traffic passing through.

There’s plenty of water, so that’s good.

It was almost perfect.

Almost.

Except the area was empty and the room bright.

There wasn’t a place you could hide while you slept.

You would be exposed.

And you don’t want to be taken by surprise while you’re sleeping.

No, you can’t sleep here.

You’ll need to go farther in.

At least where ever you go now, you won’t be far away from a water source.

You sigh.

_So close._

You ready yourself to move forward, but as your roots twitch in anticipation a pain shoots up your stem.

Wincing, you curse to yourself.

_Dammit!_

This is a problem. You need to try to do something about this. You’re not sure how much more your roots can take.

The trickling of water draws your attention and you look to the nearest water hazard.

Soaking it might help.

Maybe you could rest here for a bit, it’s not like you were in a rush or anything.

Besides, it wasn’t like too many monsters passed through here anyways.

Very gently, you begin to pull out your roots. The sore ones prove to be a challenge, but you manage. Keeping your weight off the injured roots, you “walk” over to the waterway.

As you reach the canal, you sit on the edge and dip your roots into the water.

The water is refreshing, relieving some of your discomfort. It's not as effective as the ground in Snowdin, but it's something.

As you sit on the edge of the water, you stare blankly ahead. Watching as the dim light reflects off its surface.

Your eyes lower a bit more to the water.

You catch sight of yellow in its surface.

You tense…but after a moment you instantly relax.

It’s not Flowey…

It’s just you.

You let out a huff as you glance away from it.

Really, being startled by your own reflection? How stupid could you get?

Then, curiosity begins to grow. You haven’t really looked at yourself in a while, have you?

Turning back to the water, you lean over and look down at the reflection staring back at you. The first things you notice are the charred marks on a few of your petals. They’re relatively large and easy to spot against your light complexion. As you look closer, you note a few tiny marks littered across them as well. Indentations, almost like scars. You soon conclude that’s exactly what they are. Scars left from when Flowey had grazed you with his ‘friendliness pellets’. Curiously, you turn your head and try to inspect your neck. Pulling your petals out of the way, you struggle to see if it was still there. Eventually, you catch a glimpse of a large dark mark at the top of your stem.

_Huh, it’s still there._

Seems like the mark still hadn’t disappeared from when that psycho little weed tried to strangle you.

Facing forward you continue to give yourself a look over.

_Huh…_

Other than a few smudges of dirt, everything else about you looks relatively the same.

Despite everything, it’s still you…

…

No…

You don’t think you can say that.

Pulling away from your reflection, you stare at nothing in particular as your mind curiously wanders.

You might be the same as you were when you first came here…but you don't know if you can still be considered _you_.

Granted, you still had your mind…and your body, although different now, was still your own. 

But…

Did that even count for anything?

You didn’t have a soul, the supposed ‘very culmination of your being’.

So, if that’s the case, how much of you is really left?

It’s a curious question, one that you can’t help but ponder.

At what point do you stop being considered _you_ _?_

How much of you has to be missing before you can’t even see yourself as the same person anymore?

What makes a person who they are? What part is the most important?

These things you never really thought about before. Then again, you never thought you'd be in this situation either.

...

Well, it didn’t matter.

You’re nearing the end of the game. Eventually, Frisk will get to the end and everything will go back to the way it was. You’ll return to normal, you’ll become human again.

You’ll be back home, with your soul, like nothing ever happened.

You will be _you_.

Right now, the only thing you should be thinking about is what you’re going to do until the that time comes.

Rest is on the top of your list.

But then...you don't really know.

Nothing really appeals to you.

Well… with any luck, you'll go to sleep and wake up as _you_ again. It won't take that long for the kid to finish.

You probably will wake up and think this was all just a nightmare.

Your mind grows quiet as you continue to sit. 

Deciding to test your roots, you wiggle them a little.

You immediately regret it as pain shoots up your stem.

Cringing, you instantly stop and wait for the pain to subside.

After a second, it becomes tolerable once more.

Guess you’re not going anywhere quite yet.

You continue to wait.

Just listening to the environment around you. 

You’re a bit reluctant to retreat inside your mind. The way your thoughts were going before, they’re just going to annoy you.

So, you just sit and wait.

.....

.....

.....

_This is boring._

You let out a little yawn before you feel your eyelids grow heavy.

Then, you realize your leaning forward and immediately jolt upright.

_Shit!_

You almost fell face first into the water.

Shaking your head, you try to ride yourself of your exhaustion.

You need to do something, you’re going to fall asleep here otherwise.

Huffing, you look around the area for something to do.

But there’s nothing interesting nearby.

Nothing to distract you until you‘re ready to move on.

Just water, dirt, the walls, and you.

….

Sounds like the title to a really bad sitcom or movie or…something.

Looking down at your form, you try to come up with any ideas.

Then, you remember. There was something you could do.

Glancing around the area, you make sure that the room is still vacant. After that, you fold your leave together and bring them to your mouth.

You take a deep breath.

But pause.

You can’t think of anything to play.

Nothing comes to mind.

_Is this really even a good idea?_

You lower your leaves again.

_What if someone hears me? I won’t be fast enough to get away in my current condition._

You sigh.

_It’s not like I’ll enjoy playing anyways._

….

…

But…

You’re so bored!

If you don’t do anything you’ll go insane. Or drift off to sleep and possibly drown.

Besides, who cares if someone sees you? It’s not like you had to be stealthy here. It’s not like they can go tell Frisk where you are, and it’s not like Frisk can get in here.

You’re just hiding because you don’t want to deal with anyone. But it doesn’t mean you have to remain completely hidden. If someone comes along and sees you, you’ll just leave.

Simple as that.

The only two you have to worry about is Flowey and Toriel.

And neither one you’ve seen since you got here.

You’ll just play quietly and keep an eye out for them.

Making your decision, you bring your leaves back up to your mouth.

Blowing into them, you play a few random notes.

But you can’t think of anything to play.

Still, you continue. Making up things as you go, just so you can _do_ something.

Your eyes scan the area every so often to check for others, but still no one.

After a while, you start getting bored of playing random notes. You pause for a moment, not sure what to do with yourself. The melody from the environment instantly greeting your ears.

The theme for the Ruins.

_I wonder if I can play that?_

You challenge yourself to try to copy the melody.

Every time you make a mistake, you start over.

But you keep trying, and after a while you eventually succeed.

Lowering your leaves, you feel satisfied.

But not happy.

Fixating your gaze on the stream before you, you can’t help but wonder if your emotions are going to come back any time soon.

They always had before.

But this is the longest they’ve ever been gone.

Closing your eyes, you try to search for them.

…

Nothing.

You are completely empty.

_Why aren't they back yet?_

Confusion begins to stir, but you push it aside. There isn’t a reason to be thinking about this now.

_It doesn’t matter. When Frisk finishes the game, I will be back to normal. I will be me again._

You open your eyes and they widen in surprise.

There’s something reflected in the water.

The tall white figure that, despite appearing upside down in the stream’s surface, is immediately recognizable.

Quickly, you look up to the opposite bank.  

Standing across from you is none other than the caretaker of the Ruins.

Toriel.

And she is staring at you.

_Oh..._

She looks a bit confused and possibly even defensive. You don't blame her. Last time she saw a flower like you it was attacking a small child.

An uneasy feeling begins to flood into you.

_Oh no..._

This was bad, wasn’t it? You weren’t paying attention before and now you’re going to pay for it.

The feeling inside you stirs.

Your mind is telling you that you are in a dangerous situation. That you need to react to keep yourself from being harmed.

Your instincts kick in and you do the first thing that comes to mind.

You scurry away from the stream and into an upright position.

You prepare to dig your roots into the earth when-

"Gah!"

You collapse to the ground as pain courses through you.

_Owowowowowowow!!!_

You hiss as you wither on the ground in agony.

Through the blur of pain, you hear a soft voice speak but you’re too disoriented to really pay attention to it. You hear hurried footsteps as the pain begins to dull.

Very slowly, you begin to pry yourself off the ground.

What just happened?

Did she attack you?

…

No…

It’s obvious by the way your roots are stinging that this was your own fault.

You had forgotten about your injury, hadn’t you?

You were in too much of a rush and had put too much pressure on it.

_Stupid freakin r-_

"Are you alright, little one?" Startled, you look up.

Toriel is towering above you, even though she appears to be kneeling by your side. Her large paws hover over you, but not in a threatening way.

She doesn’t look wary or like she was going to attack you.

Instead she looks….worried?

Which instantly puzzles you, to the point where you don’t know how to respond to her question.

"I...uhhhh.."

The large goat monster eyes scan across your features, appearing to search for your cause of pain. Then, her eyes fall to your charred roots.

"Oh my, that’s quite the burn.” She seems to inspects it for a moment before she holds a giant paw over it. Smiling kindly at you, she says. "Hold still, this will only take a moment."

You’re not really sure what she means.

_What is she-_

Your startled when a soft green light emits from the underside of her paw.

At first you have no idea what the hell is going on.

Why is Toriel’s hand glowing _green??_

It makes you feel a bit uneasy, but then you notice something.

Your roots don’t hurt as much anymore.

_Wait…green.._

That’s the color of healing, isn’t it?

You didn’t know Toriel knew how to heal.

But it’s a good thing she did, wrapping a Band Aid around your roots would probably be unpleasant.

Though it still begs the question, why was Toriel helping you?

She’s seen what Flowy can do, what he is capable of. Why would she think anything different from you?

After a moment, Toriel pulls away.

"There. How is it now?" She asks you sweetly.

Still feeling confused, you look up at her to see if there are any answers written on her face.

But there’s none.

The goat monster just continues to smile down at you kindly.

Remembering she had asked a question, you turn back to your roots. You wiggle them cautiously and, other than feeling a little stiff, they feel fine.

“It’s better." You simply say.

As you return your gaze to Toriel, you watch her expression brightens.

"Splendid.”

The goat monster leans back onto her heels, folding her hands into her lap as she does so.

“Now, I haven't seen you here before, have I?" She asks.

Not really knowing how else to respond, you just shake your head slightly.

Her expression softens. "I thought so. I apologize if I had startled you. I'm afraid I had you confused with someone else."

So, she realizes you’re not Flowey at least. But that still didn’t explain her kind gesture. She doesn’t know you…and yet…

_Why is she being so nice to me?_

The tall monster continues, completely unaware of your bewildered thoughts.

"I am Toriel. The caretaker of the Ruins. If I may ask, what brings you here, little one?"

This question snaps you out of your thoughts.

"I..” Unsure what to say, you focus your attention on the nearby ground.

_Well, now what?_

Part of you doesn’t want to say anything, just to tell her it’s none of her business and high tail it out of there. But at the same time, you’re curious. You still don’t know why she’s acting this way. Maybe if you talk more with her, you’ll get some sort of clue.

Quickly, you think of one of your little half-truths to say.

As you pull yourself off the hard floor, you tell her “I’m just looking for a place to stay for a while.”

After gaining your balance, you focus on your roots as you plunge them into the solid ground. As you do so, you intently listen for her respond.

“I see, well…” As the last root plunges beneath the earth, you focus your gaze on her.

She smiles pleasantly at you without an ounce of disbelief in her expression.

"As long as you don’t mind a few Froggits and a silly old woman, you are welcome to stay for long as you like.”

You try not to pull a strange face at her words, but you can’t help your brown creasing slightly. You just can’t understand it. Shouldn’t she be at least suspicious of you? You just appeared out of nowhere with burns all over your body and she accepts your answer just like that?

_Why? Why is she doing this? I get it, she’s a nice person. She’s always been a sweet and kind, but that’s with Frisk. That’s with Sans and Papyrus and….everyone else. But I’m just like-_

Toriel gets to her feet, brushing off her dress in the process. Nodding her head at you, she says.

"It was very nice to meet you. However, I must continue to make my rounds.”

You stare up at her in quiet surprise.

_Wait…that’s it?!_

That can’t be it!

She didn’t reveal anything!

Offering you a smile, she tells you. “Please let me know if you need any assistance. Farewell."

With that, she walks past you.

You spin around and watch her approach the doorway that led to the pervious room.

_Really!?_

This was stupid!

None of your questions had been answered!

This can’t just…

She can’t just leave it like this!

 _You_ can’t just leave it like this.

"Wait." You call after her. Toriel stops just short of the doorway and turns to you. As she looks down at you and waits for you to continue, you try to find the best way to go about this.

For once, being in your emotionless state has given you an advantage. You feel cautious, but not anxious. You won’t feel bad if you have to lie and you know what things you should keep to yourself.

Taking a deep breath, you carefully say "Can I ask you something?"

Toriel smiles, signaling for you to continue.

Adverting your gaze, you try to think of a way to ask what you want without it causing more trouble than it’s worth.

After all, you don’t want a repeat of what happened with Sans.

"Why...” Turning back to the monster, you ask “Why are you being so nice to me?"

Toriel seems a bit surprised, or even confused by your question.

Guess you’ll have to elaborate.

"You don't know anything about me.” You pause as you think about mentioning Flowey for a moment, but decide against it. You think that would trigger something unpleasant.

Instead, you continue as you clarify. “I could be dangerous. I could've done something terrible. But you didn’t attack me. You helped me. Why?”

There is silence as she seems to contemplate your question. You watch eagerly as you wait for a response.

Then, she smiles and responds.

"I suppose it’s because you do not seem dangerous to me…” Looking away, she adds. “…or capable of doing _‘something terrible’_ for that matter.”

You frown. That’s not a very good answer.

Feeling a bit of frustration surface, you impatiently ask “How do _you_ know?”

Seeming unaffected by your tone, she turns back to you and gives you a warm smile.

“Well, if you had any intention of harming me you would’ve done so already. And you did not attack when you saw me, you tried to escape."

You can’t help but roll your eyes.

This naivety is beyond even Papyrus’ standards…

Well..

Ok, that’s not true.

But Toriel? The Queen of All Monsters?

If she was truly this trusting of others than she wouldn’t be hiding in the Ruins trying to save humans.

No, you _know_ there must be another reason.

There has to be.

Feeling frustrated, you huff and turn away from her.

"That doesn’t mean anything.” You reply. “I could be just refraining myself because you’re bigger than me. I could just be smart enough to know that I don’t stand a chance against you.”

All is quiet, just for a moment.

Just long enough to think that maybe you had said something to get you in trouble.

Then, the queen of all monster speaks.

Her voice soft and comforting, though it does nothing for you.

"I suppose that is true.”

A bit curious as to why she is agreeing with you, you glance back at the monster.

Her smile widens. “Nevertheless, you still had a choice. And you chose to flee before giving into violence. As small as this act may seem, I believe it says something about your character.”

Your brows furrow together in confusion.

Toriel merely smiles and nods her head at you once more.

"Until we meet again, little one."

With that, she turns and walks away. You watch as she continues through the doorway and disappears from sight.

You frown.

_What is that supposed to mean?!_

_It doesn't say anything about me?!_

_All it says is that I know when to get the hell outta dodge!_

Huffing, you turn forward once more.

So, Toriel doesn’t think your capable of violence.

That’s pretty much all you got out of that conversation.

Well, she’d probably think differently if she found out that…

Anyways, it doesn't matter.

You survived your encounter with Toriel and your root is completely healed.

In hindsight, maybe you should've said thank you or something.

But...you don’t _feel_ grateful.

You know should, but you just can't.

_I guess I could’ve just said it anyways…but…._

For some reason, that thought bugs you. So, you push it aside.

Deciding that you’ve wasted enough time, you pull yourself underground.

After all, you still haven’t found a place to sleep.

Zooming beneath the earth, you continue a bit deeper into the Ruins.

Next is the small room with all the switches, but you don’t even bother to pop up there.

It was too small. There would be no place you could hide in there anyways.

So, you continue to the next.

Which is…

_Hmm…this one might work._

You pop out of the ground and are relieved when you feel no stab of pain.

_Finally!_

With your roots now pain free, you immediately turn your attention to the room before you.

You’ve seen this room before as well, though you didn’t spend much time in it. You only saw it first hand when you were constantly popping in and out of the ground, too afraid to go more than a foot at a time. The room is pretty large, but most of it is taken up by two humungous staircases.

The room is a strange shape, it isn’t quiet round though it seems like it’s trying to be. The walls are boxy, leaving plenty of corners to hide in.

And if that wasn’t good enough, as you spin around you spy a large pile of leaves centered in-between the two stairways.

That could be useful. If you bury yourself in them, then you could sleep horizontally and no one would see you.

Though, the room is pretty light. Not quite as dark as you would’ve liked.

The next room would be perfect, except…

That’s the room where you first met Flowey, isn’t it?

Chances were, he wasn’t there…but…

Better not risk it.

This place is good enough.

Ducking underground, you pop over to the large pile of leaves.

As you erupt out of the ground, the force pushes a few into the air.

You pay them no mind as you begin to pull the leaves around you into a large pile.

After deeming the mound large enough, you pull your roots from the ground.

You try to gently lower yourself to the floor, however you lose your balance and fall instead.

The leaves disperse as you hit the ground, and you groan in frustration.

You cannot wait until your human again and you can lower yourself to the floor like a _normal_ person.

It takes only a moment to pull the leaves back over you, completely covering your form.

It’s not unpleasant, but after sleeping against a wall for the past few days laying on your back seems almost strange to you.

You try not to think of much as you wait for sleep to take you, but as you lie there your mind can’t help but wander.

Is it really just going to be that simple? That you’re just going to go to sleep and wake up as a human again?

At this point, you had no reason to believe that you shouldn’t. As long as Frisk gets to the end and beats the game, there should be no reason for the game to keep you here.

You should go back home.

_As long as Frisk keeps their promise._

It might take them a while, but they’ll do what you told them to do.

_I just have to wait._

You feel your eyelids growing heavy as sleep begins to take you.

_Just sit here…and wait…_

With that last thought, you fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Sorry if it was a bit uneventful, but I know some people wanted to say hi to goat mom so I added her in. 
> 
> Next chapter is scheduled to be posted April 9th and OH BOY! It's gonna be great! :DDD  
> (UPDATE-CHAPTER DELAY: Ok, in short the chapter is going to be pushed out until April 23rd T-T I sorry. Feel free to visit my tumblr page for the long explanation.)


	36. Yellow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kinda posting this in a rush, so hopefully it looks ok.
> 
> I'll add my usual links here later, but for now enjoy :D
> 
> (Also, I was super excited to get this out so hopefully the grammar is ok. I will check later to be sure.)

Darkness.

Your mind feels foggy as you begin to stir.

With senses still dulled by sleep, you roll onto your back.

You stretch and yawn, the covers rustling around you as you do so.

You must've tossed them off in your sleep.

You lay still.

You can't help but feel like there's something you're forgetting.

When did you fall asleep? You don't remember. Your mind is still recovering and you just can't think properly.

How long have you've been asleep? Did you forget to set your alarm again?

_What time is-_

Finally, your mind is flooded with memories.

Memories brimming with images of a small child, monsters, and underground cities.

You remember everything.

Your eyes fly open as you bolt upright, eager to scan your surroundings.

_Did it work?_

You blink a few times as your eyes adjust, the cloud of sleep quickly dissipating.

_Am I back? Am I human? Am I-_

Your hectic thoughts quickly come to a stop as your eyes finally focus.

Your gaze travels over the room in a state of disbelief.

No matter where you look or how hard you look at it, everything remains the same.

From the dark stone walls, to the brightly colored leaves that rustle around you.

It was still the Ruins.

You lower your gaze a bit more to your legs sprawled out before you.

Or at least where your legs should've been, but they aren't there.

Just white, spindly roots.

_This..._

You feel something coil inside you.

At this point, you feel like you should be crying. You should be sad, distraught, upset. But you can't, you can't without your soul.

So, instead you feel something else.

A mixture of disappointment and frustration.

Disappointed by the fact that you're still like this. That nothing has happened yet.

Frustrated because this has not been the first time you woke from a dreamless sleep with nothing changed.

This isn't even the second time.

_Nine..._

Nine times you have woken up still in the Ruins.

With each time your frustration growing more and more intense.

_What is taking so long?! It's been..._

Irritated by the fact that you can't even finish that thought, you let out a low growl.

You have no idea how much time has gone by anymore.

The day and night cycle didn't seem to occur in the abandoned part of the Underground. The Ruins stayed dimly lit pretty much the entire time, making it difficult to keep track of how much time passed.

And seeing you were bad at estimating time to begin with, you had given up trying to keep track of it long ago.

So you just counted the number of times you slept, but even that couldn't be an accurate time estimation. You didn't always sleep when you were tired, sometimes you slept when you were bored.

And the Ruins were _boring._

All you ever did was get water, play kazoo, stack leaves, and just sit and wait for something to happen. None of these things you found any particular enjoyment in, but since you refused to wander around aimlessly... this is all you could do.

You barley left the room you and you hardly interacted with anyone. Even when Toriel passed by while making her rounds, you didn't speak to her. Not even to ask her the time.

You didn't want to talk to other people.

You want nothing to do with them.

You just want to get back home.

To change back to normal.

To get your soul back and act like this never happened.

To sit around your stupid apartment, in your stupid socks, eat your stupid Oreos, and go on with your stupid life!

Your frustration begins to boil angrily inside you.

_Why is nothing happening?!? What is that kid even doing?!_

The first time you woke up from your slumber you were just confused. Firstly, because you didn't have that dream again, the one you've been having for the past few nights. Secondly, because you were still here. Still in the Underground. Why hadn't the game ended yet?

You eventually came to the conclusion that Frisk just needed more time. They were probably looking for you, they probably needed to rest and eat, and then they will get to the end.

You just needed to give them more time.

So, you waited...

And waited...

And waited...

But nothing.

You have woken up time and time again, but for some reason nothing is happening.

And you're steadily growing more and more aggravated by this.

_They should've finished by now!_

Your body grows tense, the fury you feel contained in your tiny form is too much to keep in.

Your leaves ball up by your sides.

You don't know what to with all this pent up frustration. You can't walk it off, like you normally would when you had legs. So, you do the only thing you can think of.

With as much strength you can muster, you slam your tightly balled leaves on the ground beside you. You hit it again and again, until you eventually just end up as a screaming pile of flailing limbs before your temper tantrum finally subsides.

Panting heavily, you lay on the ground motionless. The pent up rage you felt before is gone, but you're still a bit agitated.

Mostly though...you are confused beyond belief.

_Why am I still here? Why? Why has nothing happened yet?_

As you think this to yourself, you sit up and begin to stand.

_What is the kid doing? Are they still looking for me? Did they get stuck somewhere?_

As you finally pull yourself upright, you start digging your roots into the earth.

_Or...is this not how this works? Have I've been assuming something that simply isn't true? Is Frisk already out of the Underground and I'm just waiting for something that isn't going to happen?_

With your roots firmly in place, you begin to really think about it.

_What was it that Sans had said again? That this timeline didn't end? What does it mean? If the timeline doesn't end, then will the game ever really stop? Am I just forced to remain stuck here? Stuck in this stupid computer for the rest of my life?_

You ponder this for just a moment, a nervous feeling creeping up your stem. The thought of forever being trapped in the game with no way to escape is unsettling to you.

Then, you shake your head.

_No, that can't be it._

You refuse to believe that there isn't a way out of this place. You don't know much about time or space or any of that, but just because the timeline isn't stopping doesn't mean that the game won't stop at some point.

It has to.

That's how games worked.

They didn't just go on forever.

At some point...they all had to end.

But then...

Why hasn't it ended yet? Why are you still here? What is Frisk doing?

It's bugging you.

You want to know.

_What the hell is going on?_

You glare at the ground before you, staring at the brightly colored leaves with little interest in them.

Your mind is reeling. You want to know what's going on, but the only way to find that out is to leave the Ruins.

The problem is, the feeling creeping up your stem is keeping you firmly in place.

For some unknown reason, you still feel like you need to stay here.

You can't leave the Ruins.

You have to stay, but you have no idea why.

You growl.

_Stupid....thing!!_

You curse the urge you feel swelling up inside you, but it still refuses to loosen it's grip on you.

Despite your mind's strong desire to leave, the need to stay is stronger.

You're not surprised, this has happened before.

A few other times you've woken up and had the desire to leave this place.

But the urge wouldn't let you.

You kept feeling like you needed to stay, but you didn't know why. The only reason you could think of was because you didn't want to get hurt. You're safe here. The kid will finish eventually and you just needed to wait.

Each day, your curiosity seemed to get stronger.

But...

Even when you began to feel like your just wasting your time, you still can't bring yourself to leave.

You have to stay here and wait.

You scoff at yourself as you mutter under your breath. "This is so stupid."

"I'll say" a voice behind you agrees.

Startled, you instantly spin around.

Your eyes land on the figure a couple of feet away and your mind instantly sounds an internal alarm.

_Shit..._

This isn't good.

You now deeply regret screaming as you were throwing your little temper tantrum earlier.

Hopefully that wasn't how he found you.

The smile on his face is a smug one, obviously enjoying your reaction at his presence.

After a moment, he greets you in his usual way.

"Howdy," Flowey's smile widens "long time no see."

Oh, well this is just great!

Why do you keep running into people that you don't want to see here?

First Toriel...

Now _him!_

Whose next? Sans??

...

Let's not even joke about that.

Feeling defensive, you shift away slightly and bark a warning at him.

"Back up weed or I'll-"

"Where the hell have you been?!" He suddenly cuts in, a frown plastered on his features as he scolds you.

Your eyes widen in shock.

_Wait....what??_

You can't help but give Flowey a bewildered look, but he ignores it as he continues.

"Do you know how much of the Underground I've gone through just to find your ugly face?!"

Flowey lets out a huff as he turns to look at your surroundings in an unimpressed fashion.

"Go figure I find you here out of all places." He murmurs quietly under his breath.

You still can't fully comprehend the situation at hand.

Flowey was actually looking for you?

_But...but why?_

It wasn't like you were helping Frisk anymore.

What business would he have with you now?

Does he still think you're some sort of threat? Does he think you're up to something?

Finally recovering from your surprised state, you give the other flower a dirty look as you ask him suspiciously. "What do _you_ want?"

As he turns back to face you, he says the last thing that you could ever expect.

"You need to go back to Frisk."

Your eyes grow wide once again. You blink a few times before the only question you can think of falls from your lips.

"W-what?"

You couldn't possibly have heard him right.

He couldn't possibly have asked you to go back to Frisk.

Flowey notices your dumbstruck expression and rolls his eyes.

Emphasizing each word clearly as he tilts his head, he says to you in a condescending manner.

"You. Need. To. Go. Back. To. Frisk!"

You remain still for a moment. Thoroughly processing his words.

_He wants me to go back?_

Guess you did hear him right the first time...but...

It didn't make any sense.

Why would Flowey want you to go back to them? This was what he wanted, wasn't it? He wanted you out of the picture. If you weren't helping Frisk, then there was a chance the kid would start fighting instead of sparing.

You glare at him cautiously.

No...

This doesn't make any sense at all.

You don't trust it.

Nodding your head in his direction, you ask him suspiciously. "Why should I?"

Flowey rolls his eyes at you as he mumbles to himself. "Oh for the-"

Turning back to you, he shouts at you in frustration. "Do you even know what they've been doing since you disappeared?!"

_What they've been..._

Not knowing exactly how you should respond, you just continue giving him a pointed look.

You don't trust him, but you are curious to know what the kid's been up to. Seeing it drove Flowey to seek you out, it had to be big.

You watch as he lets out an irritated sigh, like this was somehow the most agonizing part of his day. He must've taken your silence for a ' _no'_ then.

Scowling, Flowey tells you "After that little stunt you pulled, the cry baby ran out of the Core. They called Papyrus, told them they lost you and those morons went looking for you. They spent hours just trying to find you! Eventually, Frisk started crying and Papyrus had to carry them back to the house."

His glare seeming to intensify, he adds bitterly. "And you know what? Frisk hasn't left the house since!"

There is silence.

Flowey just continues to scowl at you and you continue to glare at him. Though, as your mind begins to process this information, your eyes begin to wander.

Well, guess Frisk had gone looking for you after all. You knew that they would, though you didn't know they were going to contact Papyrus and form a little search party. Either way, that wasn't what drew your attention the most.

What really bothered you was the last thing that the little flower had said.

_What did he mean by 'they haven't left the house since'?_

Curious, your gaze returns to Flowey.

The little weed continues his harsh stare, seeming to appear more impatient by the second.

But you really don't care, you have other things on your mind.

You need to know.

Giving him a curious look, you ask him "How long has it been?"

Flowey appears a bit startled for a moment, not seeming to expect that response from you, before quickly frowning.

"It's been five days!!" He yells.

_Five...days._

Five days.

It's been five days.

At first, you are not sure what to make of it. Was that...was that a good thing or a bad thing? Was five days a long time? Or were you expecting longer? You're not really sure.

As you lower your gaze, you test the words out loud.

"Five days." They seem odd to you.

"Yes!" Flowey answers, not quite understanding you weren't really asking a question.

You glance up at Flowey for just a moment, before looking away again. You feel like you should have some opinion on this new information, but you don't. Maybe you just need a moment to process it?

Staring at the ground, your mind begins to think over exactly what this reveal meant.

Five days ago, you had left Frisk and fled to the Ruins. In the meantime, the kid left the Core, called Papyrus, and the two went looking for you. When they couldn't find you, Frisk went back to Papyrus' house. It couldn't have taken them more than a few hours to search before the kid started crying. So for at least four whole days, they've been at that house.

Not progressing.

Not doing anything.

Just spending their days in the house with the skeleton brothers.

In the meantime, you've been stuck here.

You've been sitting and waiting for them to do something.

Waiting for them to keep their promise, to finish the game.

Sitting here, bored out of your mind!

And they are doing absolutely nothing about it!

Why are they making you wait!?

Do they expect you to come back!? Are they just trying to bide their time so they can spend it with those bone heads!?!?!

You feel your anger rising out of control, your leaves shaking slightly as they ball tightly at your sides.

_That little- I am dying of boredom here and they are just freakin stalling!_

It's then that you come to the conclusion.

Five days was too long.

You've waited long enough.

Doesn't matter if it's safe or not. It doesn't matter if you don't know what you're doing.

You're leaving.

_Screw this! When I get my hands on that kid I'm gonna-_

"You need to go back!" Flowey tells you, interrupting your thoughts.

As you continue to stare at the ground, you ponder his words.

He's right, if you don't go back then chances are Frisk isn't going to do a damn thing.

They didn't want to leave that house before, chances are they don't want to leave it now.

_I'll drag that kid out of there if I have to!_

You're going back.

You're going to go and make that kid finish the game.

No matter what it takes.

You're leaving

....

.....

That's what you tell yourself anyways.

But...

"No." The word is out of your mouth before you can stop it.

It's a simple word, but effective.

After a few moments, you hear Flowey ask in disbelief. "No? What do you mean _'no'?_ "

You feel your rage subside and your stiff posture deflates.

You don't bother to look up at the weed in front of you. Instead, you just turn your back to him and simply state. "I'm not going back to them."

You're hoping that Flowey will get the message and just leave you be.

You're staying here.

But...Jeeze.

After all that huffing and puffing. After all that build-up of you going back and forcing Frisk to finish the game.

You just can't bring yourself to do it.

You still need to stay here.

Despite having no logical reasoning for it, you just can't bring yourself to leave.

It didn't make sense.

You don't care about getting hurt anymore. You don't care that you don't know what you are doing. You just want to get back to your world. Back to your normal human self.

Yet for some stupid reason, you're still here.

In the Ruins.

Why?

_This is so stupid....why can't I just leave?_

Suddenly, you feel something grab your roots and your thoughts are quickly interrupted.

"I'm _not_ asking." Flowey hisses, and you can't help but roll your eyes.

Turning to face him, you give him a skeptical look.

"Really?" You ask him, feeling no fear whatsoever. "What are you going to do if I don't?"

Flowey scowls and says with a twisted grimace.

"I'll bring you back in pieces if I have to!"

"Right," you merely say, unaffected by his threat. "cause that will sure go over well."

The contorted face before you falls, turning back into Flowey's normal...irritated expression. The grip on your roots loosen as Flowey appears to finally understand that threats aren't going to work in this situation.

"Just...just go back!" He yells, his roots finally slipping off your own.

"No." You tell him, feeling yourself getting a bit irritated by his persistence.

Flowey growls before shouting "Why are you being so stubborn?!"

Not knowing how to answer that question, you just yell back at him.

"Why do you care?!"

"I don't!" Flowey exclaims. "I _can't_ , remember? But if you don't go back to them, then that cry baby isn't going to do anything! They're just going to sit in that house and do nothing! They won't progress and they won't ever finish this stupid tim-"

Flowey suddenly stops, his mouth firmly clamping shut. He scoffs as he looks away from you, obviously trying to recover from his near slip up.

For a moment, you think that you shouldn't say anything. But then you realize that you had no reason not to. Flowey needed you alive and he couldn't kill you no matter what you said.

Sighing, you ask him. "Finish the timeline, right?"

Flowey's head whips around to you, his eyes wide in surprise.

Then, after a moment, they narrow. "You _do_ know!"

You answer him by merely giving a little shrug.

Part of you feels a little accomplished that you hid this from Flowey for so long, but another part just doesn't really care.

You'd rather just have him go away.

Flowey looks away for a moment, seeming to contemplate something, before turning back to you. His expression is not quite as harsh, almost neutral in appearance. It makes you curious about what he's up to.

"Listen," Flowey begins, but pauses as he adverts his gaze. "If you know about the timelines..." Flowey's eyes shift back to you. "..then you know who's in charge of them, don't you?"

You don't say anything, so Flowey just continues.

"They're the only ones that can reset this world now and they're cooped up in that shaggy little cottage DOING NOTHING! Hasn't this timeline gone on long enough? Wasn't the whole reason you were helping them was to get them to the end so they'll reset?"

You advert your gaze.

Huh...

Well...he figured it out, didn't he?

That was the reason you were helping Frisk to begin with.

At least, that was the one that made the most sense.

Flowey seemed to take your silence for a ' _yes'_.

"So, go back to them and get them to reset already!" He exclaims, almost in a pleading manner.

You feel your frustration begin to swell within you.

You can't leave!

Even if you wanted to, you can't!

For some reason beyond your comprehension, you have to stay here!

Why can't he just let you be!?

Turning back to him, you yell.

"Why!? Why do you want me to go back so badly?! Do you hate this timeline _that_ much?!"

Flowey scowls at you, his expression hardening once more as he shouts "Yes! I hate everything about it! No one's doing anything! It's boring! I just want something to happen! I don't care what!"

You can't help but shake your head and roll your eyes as you look away.

_Spoiled little...._

For some reason, you can't help but compare Flowey to a bratty child.

Maybe it was the fact that he didn't seem to have a good reason for wanting a reset. It's boring? So what? Life is boring. Get over it.

Maybe it was knowing that he thought he could just do whatever he wanted. You want to kill someone just for fun? That's fine. In here, it's just a game. You can reset and it'd be like nothing happened! But guess what? In the real world, there is no reset. If you kill in the real world, you'd go to jail. You'd face the consequences of your actions. End of story.

Or...maybe...

Maybe it was because he _literally_ had the mind of a child.

....

Probably the last one.

Still, his reasoning for a reset wasn't a very good one.

Looking up at Flowey, you ask in disbelief. "So, that's why you want me to go back? So they can get this timeline over with because you're _bored?_ "

Flowey scoffs and exclaims. "Oh, don't you go criticizing me! Do you know how many timelines I've gone through, just watching them? Waiting for them to do something significant...to do something interesting!? To either befriend everyone or to kill everyone?!"

_Befriend...wait..._

You pause, a bit confused by his words.

What was Flowey talking about? You've gone through the true lab ending several times. You befriended everyone and spared everyone more than one playthrough, so what was he....

_Wait..._

That's right.

The True Reset.

It's been so long since you've played through that route, you had completely forgotten about it.

A true reset was the only way for the game to completely start over.

It removed every trace of you from the game. It completely wiped everyone's memories, including Flowey's.

Which meant that he can't remember those playthroughs or even the ones before them.

Meaning, the only routes he actually remembers are the ones you've done since.

Which were several normal ones and...

Flowey smiles maniacally. "Then, they finally do something _significant_. They started killing everyone. I don't know what took them so long to finally emerge and take control of that soul. _Frisk's_ soul. But they did, they were back. And for once, I didn't feel alone anymore."

Flowey's smile falls, his brows knitting together as he continues his story.

"We were going to destroy everything in this wretched world, together! We were so close too. Then, they reset. For some reason, they reset the timeline and ruined everything! Everything we had worked up to was just gone! And when they came back, they were different. They weren't the same anymore. They wandered around the Ruins, completely clueless! They had no idea what to do or where to go! I was so confused. Why couldn't they remember anything?! They never forgot before."

Flowey pauses for a moment as he looks away thoughtfully, then he continues.

"I knew I had to get them to remember!" Flowey exclaims before shaking his head. "I figured that maybe if they started killing again, maybe that would spark something. That it would get them to remember everything and they would reset the timeline again so we could pick up where we left off."

Something inside your head suddenly clicks into place.

"That's why you wanted me out of the picture..." You simply state "...because I was helping them spare everyone."

Flowey remains quiet, seeming to not know how to respond to you.

You knew you were right though, you didn't need the little weed to confirm it.

Still, it didn't make sense.

He wanted the fallen child to come back? Really? Didn't he remember what happened?

You're curious. Flowey seemed to be pretty intelligent for the most part, so you can't help but wonder...

"Why, though?" You finally ask, causing him to give you a strange look.

He doesn't seem to understand your question.

Giving him a curious look, you ask "You were terrified of them, weren't you? Why would you want them back?"

The flower before you stares at you for a second, before he huffs and adverts his gaze.

"It's complicated." He merely says, looking almost unsure.

"Complicated?" You ask, astounded by his answer. "They would've probably killed you but you still want them back and all you have to say is _'it's complicated'_?!?"

Flowey shoots you a look as he shouts in frustration. "I don't need to explain myself to you! What had you said before?!"

The next moment, Flowey's face changes. You're a bit startled by it as you suddenly find yourself staring back into your own face.

In a mocking tone, the other flower says "The reasons are mine and mine alone. And I refuse to be bullied into telling them by a stupid weed like you!!"

Flowey's face returns to normal as he gives you a smug smile.

Wow, you never thought that would come back to bite you.

Did you really sound _that_ annoying?

...

No...

Flowey was just making it seem that way.

Sighing, you roll your eyes at him.

You still want to know.

This is the first time you ever got any real insight into what goes on in that messed up head of his.

After a moment, you come up with an idea.

As you let out a huff, you turn back to the little weed and inform him.

"Look, if you want me to come with you then you'll have to indulge my curiosity."

As you watch Flowey's smile fall, you can't help but smile smugly in return.

Sure, you still can't leave even if you wanted to.

But...

He didn't need to know that.

_It's nice having leverage._

Flowey turns and mutters under his breath. "Tsk, what a pain in the-" He turns back to you."- fine. When we were in that hallway, before they started to act all creepy...I started..." Flowey looks away, almost as if he's embarrassed or unsure. "...I felt something."

You can't help but give him a strange look. Flowey looks at you for a moment, before he frowns and looks away again.

"I don't even know what it really was. It just..." Flowey's voice lowers a bit. "...it felt warm."

_Warm?_

That description sounded familiar to you.

Flowey turns back to you as he continues in his normal volume.

"After all the resets, after all the timelines I've gone through, it's the only time I ever felt _anything_."

You watch as Flowey shakes his head.

"Then, they started acting weird but..."

He pauses for a moment, seeming to contemplate something for a moment.

"They were just...they had to be just messing around. Why else would they do that then just go and reset everything?"

Flowey smiles to himself, looking more like a deranged lunatic than happy. "They just wanted to know what my reaction would be. Yeah, that's it. That has to be it."

You have a feeling that he was wrong, but you decided to just let him continue anyways.

He could think whatever he wanted, after all.

Looking back to you, he gives you a confident and wicked smile.

"If I could just get them to remember, I know things would be different." Flowey's smile falls slightly, turning more into a grimace. "They were so close to killing, to remembering. Then _you_ showed up and ruined everything! You kept them from killing! I tried everything to get ride of you! Everything!"

Flowey sighs. There is a pause, and you think that he's done with his little tangent.

That he's finally run out of things to say.

But after a second, he turns back to you with a bored look.

"You know, out of all the things I tried to get you out of the way..." Flowey gives you a clever smirk. "I never thought that knocking that stupid note off the wall would do it."

You blink.

_Note?_

It takes only a moment for realization to hit you.

And it hits you _hard._

A burning rage erupts within you.

"That was YOU!?!?!" You yell, your fury causing your form to begin trembling.

But Flowey just laughs at your reaction.

"Hee hee hee!" He cackles, his smile growing wider. "I even stuck it to Frisk's boot when they weren't looking. They walked all the way across the bridge without even realizing it was there. You should've seen the look on your faces!!"

Flowey continues to smile wickedly at the memory, seeming satisfied with himself.

You, on the other hand, are beyond furious.

This whole thing was his fault! He's the reason why you're here! If Flowey wouldn't have moved that stupid note, you would still be with Frisk!

You watch as Flowey shakes his head, unconcerned with your overwhelming fury.

"It was just supposed to slow you down, not make you run away. Guess it had worked better than I thought it did. I had finally succeeded in getting rid of you. But...I didn't know that getting rid of you would make them just... _stop_."

As you remain in your spot, shaking with pent up fury, you wonder just how badly Frisk needed Flowey for the ending?

Because you _really_ want to kill him right now.

Too bad Frisk couldn't load a save whenever they wanted, because you wouldn't hesitate on beating the little flower to a freakin pulp!

But..you couldn't.

Flowey needed to unlock the barrier so Frisk can get out and the game can end.

So, all you can do now is just yell at him.

And you better believe you're going to yell!

"Why you stupid LITTLE-!"

A tremor shakes the ground, causing you to stop mid-insult.

There's a sound that echoes through the cavern, bouncing off the walls of the Ruins.

Then, the tremor disappears and all is silent once more.

You watch as Flowey spins around, looking to where the sound seemed to originate from.

You follow his gaze.

With the rage from before now long forgotten, you study the archway in curiosity and confusion.

Now, you're used to tremors. You've felt vibrations everywhere as you traveled the Underground. You aren’t new to them or anything.

But...you've been in this exact same spot for five days now, and something like this has  _never_ happened here before.

The vibration was strong but brief, disappearing in only a matter of seconds.

And the sound.

What was that sound?

As you stare at the doorway leading to the dark room beyond, you ask in confusion.

"What the hell was that?"

Flowey doesn't respond, he just continues to stare at the pitch black doorway.

He's facing away from you, so you can't see his expression.

After a moment though, he says in an amused tone.

"Well..this should be interesting."

Without another word, you watch as Flowey ducks under the earth and disappears.

"Hey!" You shout in vain, knowing Flowey won't be able to hear you while underground.

With that, you are alone once more.

You let out an irritated huff.

_What the hell was that about?!_

Did he actually know what that sound was?

After a moment, you just shake your head as you turn away from the archway.

Well, at least he's finally gone.

_Jeeze, took him long enough._

Hmm....

You wouldn't be surprised if he came back, though.

Maybe you should switch locations?

...

What did it matter?

If he was really that determined to get you to go back to Frisk, then he'll probably find you again...no matter where you ran off to.

Glaring at the ground before you, you continue to sit alone in silence.

You think you can hear sounds coming from the other room, but you pay them no mind.

It's probably just the music in the environment, anyways.

Instead, you begin to think about what Flowey had said before.

_That stupid moron._

So, he was the one that moved the note. Of course he would do something like that.

Though...he never thought you'd run away, did he?

As much as you want to blame Flowey for everything, that was still your dumb decision.

Now, you had to live it.

At least that pest is gone now.

He did say some interesting stuff, though.

Like..

How Flowey thought that the fallen child had taken control of Frisk's soul?

Little did he know...that wasn't them.

That was _you._

You were the one controlling Frisk. You were the one that was making them do everything all along.

Not...what's their face...

Honestly, you can't remember what you named the fallen child. It's been so long and you renamed them so many times, you kinda forgot.

In any case, _you_ had gone through that entire timeline killing every single character. You were almost to the end too, but for some stupid reason you couldn't bring yourself to continue.

You stopped and reset the game.

Then next time you booted it up...

You ended up here.

Trapped in the Underground as a flower without a soul, trying to get a child who couldn't remember a damn thing to the end of the game.

But...the kid _used_ to remember, didn't they?

Guess you didn't know that Frisk was able to remember everything in the other timelines. Then again, maybe the only reason why Flowey thought they could remember was because you use to be the one controlling them.

 _You_ knew what you were doing.

 _You_ remembered the timelines.

Maybe Frisk never actually could?

And then there was the whole... _feeling_ thing.

Flowey had actually felt something once?

A warm sensation.

But...he said that it only happened _once._

If it's the same feeling you use to have, then why did you use to feel it all the time?

Granted, you haven't felt anything in days...so maybe the feeling you had was different.

Maybe it was just your mind making up things for you.

You let out a frustrated sigh.

_Well, hopefully Frisk will get it together soon and just..._

You pause for a moment, the wheels turning in your head.

There's still one thing that didn't make sense.

Well, there were a few..but one in particular that hadn't really crossed your mind until now.

_**"Because the kid needs me." You say as you continue to smile slyly. "They need me to guide them. They need me to help them. Without me, they won't get very far. I bet Frisk is looking for me right now, and it's only a matter of time before they finally find me."** _

_**Flowey's eyes narrow at you, and he gives you a very suspicious look.** _

_**"...how do you know their name?"** _

Flowey had recognized Frisk's name when you said it back in Hotland.

Did he just put two and two together? Or was there some part of him that still remembered?...or did he just know that no one should've known their name?

Huh...

_Guess that's something I'll never really-_

The sound of glass shattering echoes through the Ruins.

"Why you stupid little-!"

A tremor shakes the ground, causing you to stop mid-insult.

There's a sound that echoes through the cavern, bouncing off the walls of the Ruins.

Before the tremor disappears and all is silent once more.

You stop, freezing in place.

_Wait...what the.._

Didn't....didn't this _just_ happen?!

Flowey remains motionless, his face a mixture of surprise and confusion.

He stares at you, but his eyes are unfocused. You can practically see the gears in his head turning.

Then, you watch him slowly turn around, looking at where the sound had seemed to originate from.

You follow his gaze.

Staring at the doorway that leads to the dark room beyond, you ask in confusion.

"Flowey...what just happened?"

Flowey doesn't respond, he just continues to stare at the pitch black doorway.

He's facing away from you, so you can't see his expression.

After a moment though, he says in disbelief.

"It...it can't be."

Without another word, you watch as Flowey ducks under the earth and disappears.

"H-hey!" You shout in vain, knowing Flowey won't be able to hear you while underground.

With that, you are alone once more.

But this time, you feel no satisfaction in knowing this.

_What's going on?_

Why did that happen?

You lower your gaze from the archway before you, your mind still trying to figure out what just happened.

You were here one moment, alone and thinking over what you and Flowey had talked about.

The next...

He was in front of you again and you were yelling at him like you had been earlier.

It was almost like...you had gone back in time.

But...but if that's the case then that meant....

_A save was loaded..._

It's the only explanation.

And seeing you are stuck in a videogame it’s the one that makes the most sense.

The only problem is...

Frisk said they didn't know how to load a save on command...

And if Flowey was telling the truth, then Frisk was still safe and sound in the skeleton brother's house.

Papyrus wouldn't hurt them.

And Sans...

He wouldn't unless he had to.

So...

_How on earth did a save load by itself?_

It didn't make sense.

You're confused and a bit concerned.

The game shouldn't be loading saves by itself.

Your eyes narrow as you glare at the ground before you.

_The tremor and that sound..._

They have to have something to do with it.

But what?

The sound and the vibration...

Thinking back on it.

It was almost...like something heavy had hit the ground.

_What could've possibly-_

A chilling scream suddenly reaches your ears, causing your head to instantly snap up.

You stare at the archway, wide eyed as your mind sends a chill to race through your body.

_What-what the hell is-?!?!_

There's more screams and possibly the sound of someone begging.

You can't understand what they're saying to be sure, the words all sound like a garbled mess to you.

But...

You think you know that voice.

Which makes you even wearier.

Something isn't right.

_What would make him-_

There's something pushing you to go in.

You feel like you _need_ to go in there.

Like you can't just sit here and do nothing while...

You shake your head.

This is stupid! You don't know what's in there! You could get hurt! Whatever is going on in there, it isn't good!

But...

Damn, you're also curious!

You want to find out what's going on.

You take a deep breathe in and let it out.

You'll be careful.

The next room is dark. If you're cautious, you shouldn't be seen.

Even if you are, you can escape underground easily enough.

Shaking your head once more, you begin reciting in your head.

_This is stupid..this is so stupid...so stupid..._

Steeling yourself, you pop underground.

You carefully steer yourself through the earth, making sure you know precisely where you're going.

Once you are in a location you know you won't be seen, you pop up.

You emerge close to the wall, completely engulfed in shadows.

" _pLeASe!! i'M sOrrY!!"_

Your eyes grow wide as and you instantly straighten, pressing yourself into the wall behind you.

Yellow.

Everything is covered in yellow.

Your mind sends an earth shattering wave of fear as you realize what's happening before you.

In the center of the room under the bright spot of light...

Is Flowey....cowering, screaming, and begging for his life.

Yellow liquid, almost like a mixture of pollen and water, spurting from his body as he is stabbed repeatedly.

Over..

And over...

And over again.

Stabbed mercilessly by a dark, hooded figure kneeling before him.

Their hand appears to be wrapped around Flowey's stem, keeping him firmly in place as the sharp object in the other continues to assault him.

The yellow liquid proceeds to splatter everywhere as you continue to cower against the wall.

You can't move.

You don't know what to do.

_This..._

You don't know what you were expecting when you entered but it wasn't _this!_

Your mind is racing as you continue to watch as Flowey yells and screams for mercy.

This was wrong.

Everything about this was wrong.

_This shouldn't be happening, it didn't make sense!_

_Who is this?! Why are they here?!? Why are they killing Flowey?!? Why isn't he running?!?!_

_You stupid-you're in the ground still! You can still run!_

You want to shout at him, to point out his stupidness!

But you can't.

You can't do anything.

All you can do is watch.

Watch as Flowey is assaulted until there is simply nothing left of him.

You hear one last, dying plea before his voice finally fades out completely.

An eerie silence falls over the room.

It's over.

Flowey was dead.

It's over...

But you can't move.

You don't know what to do.

Do you wait until they leave?! Do you get the hell out of here while you can?!

If you move, you could make noise. It could alert them to your presence.

But if you stay...

You could end up like...

_W-what do I do?_

All is still.

As you sit, motionless against the wall, you watch as a red light enters the figure's chest. You aren't able to get a good look at it before the light disappears inside them.

The figure finally releases their hold on Flowey's remains, their hand still coated in yellow.

Then, they slowly stand.

You watch as they get taller and taller, until they’re fully upright.

Knowing not what else to do, you simply watch the figure...taking the moment to look at them more clearly.

The front of their clothes are coated in Flowey's blood, along with their hands and the weapon they carried. It almost looks like half of a scissors, but it's too hard to tell.

The figure stares down at Flowey's remains, their hood casting dark shadows across their features. You can't make out their face but....something about their stature gives you a vague sense of familiarity.

You begin to feel even more uneasy.

You feel like something is wrong, even more so than before.

You can't help but think...

That you've seen this person before.

As your eyes dart over the figure, that feeling quickly begins to escalate.

You begin shaking as your eyes sweep over the figure again, and again, and again.

Realization slowly beginning to dawn on you as you do so.

The alarm bells in your head are sounding off so strongly now that it's making you dizzy.

Your mind is having trouble comprehending what you're seeing before you.

It just...it isn't possible.

 _No...no it just can'_ _t-_

You desperately try to reason with yourself.

The figure's face is in shadows!

You can't _see_ who it is!

For all you know, it could be anyone!

Anyone could own a black sweatshirt, it wasn't like they were hard to come by. And gray sweatpants were as common as they come! Even the combination of the two wasn't _that_ unique.

But when you get to their feet...your mind goes blank.

The pants are a few inches too short.

Giving you a perfect view of what lay underneath.

It's so stupid.

They aren't even a matching pair!

One was bright blue, with two little dots for eyes and an angular opening to mimic a shark like jaw.

The other, bright green with golden pineapples patterned across it.

They're ridiculous, comical, but despite this they still fill you with dread.

_You can't believe it._

_How?....HOW?!?_

It isn't possible!

It shouldn't _be_ possible!

Your mind is racing, this can't be right!

_I was turned into a flower! Turned INTO one! I-I'm not like-I'm still me! I'm still-_

As the figure raises their head and slowly turns towards you, you're able to finally see their face.

... _..me...._

You feel your reality suddenly shatter around you.

There is no mistake.

_It's....it's me ..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the mind fuck :)
> 
> (Next chapter will be posted May 21st)  
> (UPDATE: Chapter Delay - planning to post next chapter May 29th)  
> (UPDATE 5/29: Due to an unforeseeable circumstance, there will be no chapter post today. I will get the chapter posted ASAP and you can expect it either on or before 6/4. I am very sorry! T-T )


	37. Mind, Body, Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delays! Here is the next chapter (it's kinda a long one ^^; )
> 
> Also, things are slowly being revealed and some things will probably not make sense right away. However, let me know if you are thoroughly confused about something and I will try to clear it up in the next chapter.
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

You remain unmoving, pressed firmly against the cavern wall behind you.

You're paralyzed as your thoughts struggle to comprehend what you are seeing.

You feel like you're looking into some strange, demented mirror.

The human before you looks exactly like you.

From the boring black sweatshirt right down to the stupid socks that you've never shown anyone before in your life!

The similarities are uncanny.

Same face, same outfit, everything!

Everything looks exactly the same as you remember from the night you fell into the game.

Just from sheer appearance alone, you find it hard to deny that the figure doesn't just _look_ like you.

It _is_ you.

...

But...

That can't be right.

That can't be you.

You’re you!

Sure, you're not the same as you use to be. You can't be when you're missing your soul, the very culmination of your being. Yet, there’s still some part of you that refuses to believe that you aren’t still you.

After all, you’re mostly all there. The only thing you’re missing is your soul. Everything else you still have and you can't help but think that means something.

_I..I’m still me...I have to be..._

Even thinking this, you still have trouble believing that the person standing several yards away is not you.

After all, who else could it possibly be?

It looks like you...so it has to be you.

But it can’t be you...because you are you.

As your mind continues to fight with itself, you passively watch the figure before you scan their surroundings.

With your thoughts in a mess, you still can't bring yourself to do anything intelligent.

Like... _run_.

Instead, all you can do is tense as the human's gaze lands on you for just a moment before their eyes continue to sweep over the room.

They seem to be looking for something. Or waiting for someone. Maybe even checking for witnesses.

In any case, they didn't seem to notice you.

Which is good, because regardless of who this person is...they didn’t seem to like flowers very much.

After a few moments, they seem satisfied. The being slowly begins to walk forward, your gaze following them intently as they do so.

As they stroll towards the doorway leading to the rest of the Ruins, your racing thoughts are interrupted by curiosity.

_Where are they going?_

_Why are they here?_

_Why...why are they walking like that?_

Something in the way your human form is moving strikes you as odd.

It's almost like the figure is being cautious.

Not afraid or like they're expecting someone to attack them at any moment.

Just...

Cautious of their own movements.

Like they're making sure not to trip over their own two feet.

Inadvertently, you lean away from the wall as you watch the figure leave, studying their stride.

If this person is truly you, then why are you walking so strangely?

_Is it because I’m not wearing shoes? The ground doesn’t seem that rocky. It’s not like it’s going to hurt-_

Your thoughts are halted by a small sound.

Your stomach leaps into your throat as you turn and watch pebbles trickle down the cavern wall behind you.

You must’ve knocked them off the wall when you shifted.

The sound echoes around the quiet room.

Alarmed, you quickly spin back to the figure before you.

They had stopped in their tracks.

You stare horror-stricken as you watch their head tilt curiously towards the sound.

Towards you.

Images of yellow splatters across your mind as cries of mercy echo in your ears.

It’s then that you finally get your common sense back.

You need to get out of here before that thing takes you out just like -

Not waiting another moment, you immediately duck underground and take off.

You zoom through the earth in a blind panic, dodging around obstacles left and right. You continue forward without a clue as to where you are or where you are going. All you know is that you need to get as far away from that place as possible.

After a few moments, you begin to feel a nagging sensation in the back of your mind.

You’re going to get lost or stuck somewhere at this rate.

You have to be rooms away by now.

You should stop running and check where you are.

Soon enough, you feel yourself begin to slow and eventually stop altogether.

That was stupid of you. Guess your mind had been dazed and confused, causing you to make quickly thought out decisions. It’s just trying to keep you safe, but running frantically like that is just going to get you into more trouble.

You’re safe now. There is no way that...that _thing_ is anywhere near you.

….

But…

_I better make sure._

You focus.

Concentrating on the tremors around you, you try to pick out anything unusual.

You feel the constant low rumble humming through the earth.

The slow, methodical pulsing coming from the Core.

Small tremors here and there signifying monsters moving about elsewhere in the Ruins.

You don’t pick up anything that remotely feels like footsteps approaching.

Confident that you are in a safe location, you pop up.

You breathe heavily as you glance around at your surroundings.

It takes you a moment before you recognize that you’re in the hallway outside of Toriel’s house.

Which actually surprises you a bit. You didn’t realize you had covered so much ground in that little of time.

You aren’t even tired from it.

…

Ok, you’re a little worn out, but not as much as you should be. You must’ve really built up your stamina.

Raising a leaf to your forehead, you wipe away a bead of liquid that’s dripping down your face.

Feeling safe, your head begins to race with thoughts once more.

_What the hell is going on?! That was me! ME! But it just...it can’t be! How?! How can that thing be me if I’m still right here?! Is it some weird magic trick?! Did the game make an AI copy of me!? Am I stuck in a weird time-space continuum thing?! Or am I not even who I think I am?!_

You press your leaves into the corner of your eyes, feeling completely disoriented by all the questions bombarding your mind.

_Nothing is making any sense..._

With your eyes still closed, you take a deep breath.

Breathe in...

And out...

You need to calm down.

You're never going to get any answers if you can't think straight.

Continuing to breathe, you attempt to organize your thoughts.

_Ok, just...just one thing at a time._

You lower your leaves and cross them across your chest.

You stare intently at the ground as you try to focus on a single question at a time.

First thing’s first.

What the hell was that thing?

It looked like you in every single way.

Why?

You can come up with thousands of possibilities, each one more absurd than the last. The problem is that in a world that is fictional where anything can happen, they all seemed at least somewhat plausible.

Shapeshifting monster? Plausible.

AI copy? Plausible.

Your future self? Plausible.

3 Temmies in disguise? Highly unlikely...but still plausible.

Considering your circumstances, anything seems possible to you.

You shake your head.

You’re really getting nowhere with this, aren’t you?

Maybe instead of taking random shots in the dark, you should stick with what you know.

You know that figure looks like you. Pretty much identical in appearance.

Can that figure be the real you then?

…

No.

It can't be. And you're not just being in denial about it.

In order for that person to truly be you, it needed to be whole.

It needed to have every single piece of the person you once were.

You know for sure that it didn’t have your mind.

And since you’re still inhabiting your body, it definitely didn’t have that either.

_I mean, my body is different now...I'm no longer human but it's still the original. It's still my body, right?_

.….

….

_Right?_

You hold your leaves out to stare at them thoughtfully.

Somewhere in the back of your mind, there is a little nagging thought. You think you've been ignoring it for a long time. But now with everything that has happened, you feel it finally bubbling to the surface.

_What if…_

_What if this isn't really mine?_

…

Huh.

That’s something you haven't really considered before. Not seriously anyways. Then again, you never had any reason to believe otherwise. It’s not like you’ve ever seen your body walking around by itself before.

You flex the leaves before you as you flip them over and examine them.

_It's definitely a possibility. Flowey didn't seem to realize that his flower body wasn't his original one either._

So…

Is this flower body actually yours?

Or are you more like Flowey than you had originally thought?

…

You ball your leaves into fists.

_No..._

Lowering your leaves to your sides, you frown.

_This body has to be mine._

_It just has to be._

But…

How can you tell?

How can you make sure that it’s the original?

Think. There must be some kind of clue. Something you’ve missed that would prove that this is still your body.

Or at least prove that you had never been separated from it.

You ponder this intently for a moment, it doesn’t take long for you to come up with an idea.

_The dream._

If your mind would’ve been separated from your body, it would’ve been when you were pulled into the game.

That creature proved it had the power to rip your soul from your body.

It certainly could have pulled your mind out as well.

But did it?

**_You feel it start to slowly crawling up your neck._ **

Inadvertently, you shiver. It’s been days since you had that dream, but the feeling of that ooze creeping over your skin is still burned quite vividly in your mind.

You don't really want to think about it, but you need to have some sort of clue to exactly what happened.

You take a deep breath before closing your eyes and concentrating.

You remember the substance crawling over your hands, each finger being coated thoroughly.

The ooze coated your entire body all the way up to the edges of your face. You remember feeling it everywhere and you try not to shudder at the memory.

You remember your soul floating in front of you before you were filled with a crushing pain, your body being squeezed far too tightly to be comfortable.

Then, you felt something tug at your rib cage. You had opened your eyes to realize you’ve been cast into darkness. Then, there was a pounding in your head and you felt like it was being crushed.

The creature continued to tug at your chest, you remember looking down and not being able to see your body clearly. But you could still see the ooze shining in the red glow of your soul.

After the pain in your chest escalates, something finally gives. It felt almost like a wire snapping. Then the light from your soul was gone.

The pain in your head escalated and you remember hearing some strange whispering. Something about “help”? You couldn’t really understand most of it.

Then the pain got worst and…

_Wait…_

You open your eyes as you stare at the opposing wall in front of you, frowning as you realize something that never occurred to you before.

You had remained conscious even after your very soul had been ripped from your body.

Shouldn’t...shouldn’t you be dead?

You remember reading something about it once, though you don’t remember where.

Something about extracting a soul would instantly destroy its host.

_So...why..._

_Why am I still alive?_

...

You sigh and shake your head.

You don’t really have an answer for that, do you?

Well, for now it didn’t matter.

For one reason or another, you didn’t die.

And you recall that your dream didn’t end there either.

There was a voice.

Someone or something was speaking to you in a language you didn’t even recognize, but somehow you understood anyways.

It had said, “Forgive me.”

You have no idea what that was about.

Then…

There was something else, right?

Another sort of snapping sensation.

Then...

Nothing….

….

You felt nothing.

No sensations.

No emotions.

Just.

Numb.

Like…

Like you had when you woke up from the Ruins.

As a flower.

You continue to gaze ahead at nothing in particular, the wheels in your head slowly turning away.

_What does that mean? That it didn’t just take my soul? That for some reason, it also ripped out my memories and stuck them in a flower? Why? It had my soul, why would it take my mind to...and not even keep it, for that matter?!_

Your frown deepens.

Things still didn’t make sense.

_And how the hell am I sentient then?! If I’m just memories stuck in a flower how am I alive?! I would need to have de-_

You stop.

Raising your head ever so slightly, your eyes grow wide.

It finally dawns on you.

_I’m such an idiot…_

Determination.

That’s it.

The _urge_.

You knew there was another name for it.

You just knew.

How could you forget about _determination_!?

It’s just one of the main components of the game’s mechanics!

It’s mentioned at _every_ save point and almost every game over screen!

You even used the word before yourself!

How had you not realize this was determination you were feeling?!

Groaning, you lower your head and press a leaf between your eyes.

_How can I be so stupid!? Determination. Freakin-...why hadn’t it clicked until now?_

As you sit there, you sigh.

Curious, you try to concentrate on that sensation. On the urge.

You can still feel it. It’s still strong but it’s a bit different than it was before. You still feel like you need to do something, but now you don’t feel it pulling you in any particular direction.

It’s like there’s something that needs to be accomplished, but you have no idea where to start.

Lowering your leaf, you sigh.

_That’s got to be determination, but why does it seem so...different?_

It’s odd.

Before when you felt determined to do something, it was simple. You understood the reason why you were doing the things you were doing.

Determined to finish the game....

Determined to get away from Flowey…

Determined to get the notes right for a song...

All of these instances you had been aware of your end goal and none of them feel connected to each other.

But this?

It just feels more...complicated.

It’s like everything you’ve done is somehow connected to a single purpose. A purpose that, for some stupid reason, you can’t understand.

Why can’t you figure it out?

It’s your determination! You should be able to understand it!

Unless...it wasn’t yours.

Guess that's a possibility. This determination could’ve been pulled from another soul. Maybe determination varied from person to person? It would be a good reason as to why you can’t understand what it wants from you.

But…

You recognize this feeling.

It was there even before you were pulled into the game.

You felt like this for days after you had nearly finished your genocide playthrough.

Like you needed to go back to the game. Not to finish your run. You couldn’t even if you tried.

No, you felt like you needed to do something else. You just didn’t know what it was or why you felt like that.

So, what does it want you to do?

It can’t simply be the determination to live. You wouldn’t have risked your life to get to the end of the bridge otherwise.

And it's not to finish the game. Why would you be stuck here then, refusing to leave?

Then, what is it?

What’s so important that it's effecting your very determination?

What is it that you need to accomplish?

What do you need to do?

You let out a sigh of frustration.

_I just can’t understand it._

After a moment, you shake your head.

You're getting sidetracked again.

The purpose of your determination isn’t what you're trying to figure out right now.

You’re supposed to be trying to figure out what that thing is.

So...if you have determination, does that mean this isn’t your real body?

...

No.

Not really.

All it means is that the possibility is there.

It’s possible that this isn’t your body.

But it didn’t disprove that it wasn’t.

After all, without a soul you need something to keep you alive. Maybe there are traces of determination left after your soul was ripped out? It would explain why you remained conscious for a while.

Although, it didn’t explain why your head was in so much pain. It didn’t explain the second snap or why you felt so numb afterward.

But...it didn’t make sense.

Why would that creature take your memories just to stick it in a flower body with determination?

And why would your old body be here? How would it even get here?!

You know it had to have something to do with the tremor you felt earlier. You remember it felt like something had hit the ground.

So, did it just fall into the game?

Possibly.

Maybe that’s how your Oreos ended up in the game as well. They just sorta...dropped in when you did.

But that still didn’t make much sense!

_If that’s my body then how on earth is it walking around by itself? Everything was ripped from it! It didn’t have a mind or a s-_

Your thoughts immediately screech to a halt once more.

_Wait...._

The light.

There was a light in front of the figure before.

You had been so distracted by all the yellow you didn't pay much attention to the little light you saw.

But you remember seeing it for a split second before it had gone back inside the figure.

The color…

What color was it again?

Quickly, you rack your brain. Frantically trying to remember the color of the light before it went inside.

_It stood out. It wasn’t yellow or white. It was bright..._

….

...

_Red._

The glow was red.

Red like your soul.

The dream...

What if…

What if that thing didn't just want your soul?

What if that thing took your body to?

_That’s…_

You ponder this for a moment before you finally come to your conclusion.

_That’s stupid! Why would it go through so much work to rip out my soul just to put it back in again?? If it had the power to put my memories inside a flower, it should be able to put the soul in whatever it wanted. So, why use MY body?!?!_

As you hide your face in your leaves, you groan in frustration.

That didn't make any sense at all.

Either you are missing some key bits of information or you’re on the completely wrong track.

After all, that thing that took your soul didn’t seem to have any sort of form. What if it had just copied your appearance instead? That would definitely make more sense than going and stealing your body.

But then why would it want to look like you? It could look like whoever it wanted.

As you let out a sigh, you rub your face with your leaves before lowering them once more.

Things are getting way too complicated.

You could come up with theory after theory but you’d just be running in circles again.

So far, you’ve only been able to figure out one thing.

That nightmare creature from your visions….it has to be the one behind all this.

You don’t know how yet, but that’s the only thing that makes sense.

But that’s it…

Everything else is still just as confusing as ever.

Yet, you still want some way to know what exactly that thing is.

Does it have your body or not?

Did you retain enough pieces to still be the person you use to be?

….

Well...you aren’t going to find the answer here.

The only way you’re going to figure anything out is by finding that figure again.

Finding them and following them.

You don’t really like the idea, but at this point there isn’t any other way.

You want answers and that thing has them.

You’ll just need to be careful. You don’t know if that thing saw you earlier or not. Either way, you don’t think it would like seeing another flower hanging around.

_I just need to keep out of sight…_

You sit there for a moment, readying yourself for the plunge.

Taking a deep breath, you think to yourself.

_This is so stupid._

Then, you duck underground.

It takes only a moment to get your bearings, then you quickly head back the way you came. As you zoom through the earth, you pay attention to the tremors around you.

That thing was walking rather slowly, so you try to pick up any vibrations that might match their stride.

It takes only a few minutes before you feel it.

Vibrations coming from the surface that pulse in a slow, steady pattern.

_There it is._

You remain still for a moment, waiting for the figure to pass so you can tell which direction it’s facing.

They continue forward, and you hear their steps pass over you.

It gives you an uneasy feeling.

You wait a while as the footsteps begin to grow distant, then you cautiously pop up.

Your attention is immediately directed to the figure, making sure that they hadn’t noticed you.

However, the figure just continues to walk calmly down the hallway. Completely oblivious to your appearance.

You watch the figure closely as you follow it, keeping at least several yards away at all times. If there’s any sort of object in the room you’re able to hide behind you use it. You aren’t taking any chances with this thing.

As you continue to watch the human figure, you notice that it’s strides are becoming more and more confident. It’s beginning to walk more like a normal person, but you can’t help but think that there’s still something off about it.

You don’t know why though.

It just didn't seem...right.

Another thing you notice is the direction the figure is headed in. They are making their way towards Toriel’s house.

Towards the exit of the Ruins.

You’re not sure if this is by chance or just merely coincidence.

But...you don’t think it’s the second one. The figure seems to be confident in where they’re headed. Which for some reason, makes you nervous.

After a few more rooms, you watch the figure round a corner. Popping over to the wall, you cautiously peek around it. To your surprise, the figure had stopped. You feel yourself shrink down, afraid that the figure had somehow noticed you. However, their attention seems focused on something in front of them. Curious, you lean out a bit to try to see past them. You manage to catch a glimpse of what’s blocking their path.

A single froggit.

You watch as something red begins glowing in front of the figure’s chest. However, with their back turned towards you, it’s impossible for you to get a good look at it.

Though just from the light alone, you know what it is.

A soul.

Your soul.

It has to be.

If that creature from your nightmares is involved, then that’s definitely yours.

For some reason, you're anxious to see what the figure will do.

Intently, you watch as the figure dodges the froggit’s first attack. They stumble and seem a bit clumsy with their movements, but they don’t get hit.

When it’s the figure’s turn, you’re a bit surprised when you hear them muttering something quietly. Though, you can’t understand what they’re saying.

The frogit blushes.

_They...complimented it?_

This is a bit confusing to you. This isn’t exactly what you were expecting. After what happened to Flowey, you expected the figure to just-

The scissors slashes across the froggit's shocked expression.

The monster didn’t even have time to guard itself.

Instantly, it turns to dust.

The figure doesn’t even seem to hesitate. Once their soul disappears, they bend down and pick up a gold coin the monster had dropped.

You remain motionless as you watch the figure continue onwards to the next room.

After a moment, you duck behind the corner and lean against the wall behind you.

Granted, you aren’t terribly surprised by the outcome of that battle. You knew something was wrong with that figure...but…it’s strange…

For some reason, you feel...unsettled by this.

Well, one thing’s for sure. That thing is not the real you. Even if it had your soul and your body as well, there’s still something very wrong with it.

It didn’t move like you use to. It didn’t act like you use to.

And even when you killed a froggit in the game, you never complimented it to lower it’s guard first.

Mostly because you had never thought about it before.

Still.

It proves that whatever that thing is, it isn’t you.

But if they knew how to spare a froggit, why not spare it and avoid it altogether?

_Unless..._

An uncomfortable feeling forms in the pit of your stomach.

_Unless it’s trying to get stronger._

Something inside your core feels tense and you're suddenly overwhelmed with a desire to do something.

You huff in irritation as you try to shake it off.

Your determination seems to be acting up again. Guess it finally gained a sense of direction.

But what is it that you need to do?

You have no idea.

Just that it has something to do with that figure killing the other monsters.

It takes only a moment before you realize what it wants you to do.

_Oh…_

_Oh great…_

_It want’s me to try to stop it, doesn’t it?_

Yeah, that’s probably it.

You sigh and shake your head, feeling slightly irritated by this turn of events.

The idea is ridiculous!

You don't care about what happens to these monsters.

Not a single one.

You remember you did once.

But even then, you didn’t understand why.

Why care so much about something that isn't even real?

_These aren't real people, they are just fictional characters. It doesn’t matter if they get killed. It’s just a-_

But even as you try to reason your way out of it, your determination stands firm.

You sigh.

_What a pain in the ass._

Guess that settles it.

You need to stop that thing, whether you like it or not.

But how?

You don’t think you can’t make that thing go back where it came from. You doubt it would listen to you and it probably can’t unless it gets to the end of the game.

Then, the only thing you can do is just to straight up kill it.

But...

If that thing has your body then you'd be completely destroying it and any chance of ever being human again.

You’d be stuck here in these Ruins as a stupid, soulless-

Wait.

_My soul._

You wouldn't be soulless, would you?

That thing has your soul.

If you killed it, you'd lose your body but your soul would be fine.

You can take it back.

You can have a soul again.

Sure, destroying your body would be destroying a part of you but it would be worth it to have emotions again.

It wasn’t so bad being a flower, anyways.

But, how do you kill it though?

You doubt you can take the figure down by yourself, but you have to try something soon.

The longer you wait, the stronger they will become.

Maybe Toriel would do it? If you tell her a human is running through the Ruins turning everyone to dust she might go and put a stop to it.

However, if she ends up getting killed then it would just make that thing stronger.

Then, what do you do? You can't just wait and hope that someone else does it for you.

…

But….

What if you waited until their distracted? When they are fighting someone else.

You might be able to get enough shots in to take them down. You could even remain hidden so if it didn’t work you wouldn’t get killed.

It’s not the most well thought out plan, but it’s something.

You have to try it.

The prospect of having a soul again is too wonderful to pass up.

Making your decision, you duck underground and quickly catch up to the figure once more.

You continue to follow them through the Ruins. Waiting for the prime opportunity to initiate your plan. In order for this to work, you needed to have the figure distracted enough that they wouldn’t notice where the shots are coming from. Though, you can’t wait too long.

As you watch them kill monster after monster, seeming to hunt them down before moving onto the next area, you know you’re right about them. They are trying to raise they’re LV. It’s the only thing the figure seemed interested in. Though once in awhile, they just seemed to stop and stare off into space for a moment before continuing onward. Maybe they were having second thoughts? Either way, you made sure to keep them in your sights at all times.

After a while, you begin to get nervous.

_This is taking too long. If I don’t act soon, they’re going to be too strong to-_

Just then, three monsters appear.

And you know the figure is all out of healing items.

A feeling erupts in your core. It’s not really happiness, you can’t be happy. It’s...something else.

Excitement maybe?

Whatever it is, it causes a wicked smile to form on your face.

_This is it._

You’re going to get your soul back. You’re going to be able to feel again.

Hiding behind a nearby pillar, you see the red glow of the figure’s soul emerge.

The battle begins.

The figure does the same thing as always. They complement the froggit, causing it to blush and lower its guard.

You suddenly feel a bit tense. What if your attacks aren’t going to be enough to take it down? You don’t know how strong you are or how much HP that thing has. You don’t know if you’re going to be able to hit it from this far away.  

Then, it’s the monsters turn.

And you push all those thoughts aside.

You need to focus. No use worrying about that other stuff now.

As the monsters launch their attacks, you aim carefully at the figure dodging about. They seem to be getting better at avoiding obstacles and appear more comfortable moving in general.

While the figure is still distracted and focused on the monsters before them, you rear back and fire a shot. It flies through the air and just barely grazes the figure’s shoulder. They grip their arm as they continue to dodge the rest of the attacks.

You quickly duck back behind the pillar, afraid they might turn around to look for the source of the bullet. As you wait, you scold yourself.

_I almost missed?! Really?! What the hell is wrong with me?!_

Guess you need to work on your aim.

Granted, you never tried to hit something that was actually moving before.

But you’ll have to do better than that if you want to actually kill that thing.

Not wanting to miss any more of the fight, you cautiously peek around the pillar once more.

The figure is still facing forward, but you notice that one monster is missing.

The froggit.

Guess they dusted the little monster when you weren’t looking.

The other monsters launch another attack.

This time, you fire a two shots back to back. One misses, but the other one hits them square in the back.

You grin wickedly as the figure stumbles and falls to their knees.

The rest of the attacks go right over their head.

Again, you don’t wait to see if the figure is going to turn around. You quickly duck back behind the tall structure in front of you.

You can’t help the grin that’s still plastered on your face.

_It’s working. It’s actually working._

You peek out and notice the figure attacking once more.

The whimsum is quickly defeated.

Only one monster left. You feel your smile fall.

Judging by the figure’s posture, they couldn’t have much health left.

You don’t think that they can take much more. However, there’s only one monster left.

If that monster dies, then the battle is over. The figure will move on and there’s no guarantee there will be another fight before they can heal.

This is your only chance.

You have to get a shot in.

Your aim at this distance is shaky, but you have to try.

The last monster attacks, and you quickly do the same.

You fire bullet after bullet, much faster than you’re used to.

When one finally hits the figure, they crumple to the ground.

A sort of satisfied feeling fills you, and you can’t help but grin.

You did it.

They’re done for.

_That soul is as good as-_

Your smile is instantly wiped from your face as you notice movement.

The figure, though obviously in pain, slowly get’s to their feet.

_No…_

You watch as they raise their weapon and strike down the loox.

The last monster is defeated and turns to dust.

The battle is over.

_No no no nO NONONONO!!_

This can’t end like this.

You were so close!

So close!!

Frustration begins to boil inside your tiny body.

The human form before you looks like they’re going to topple over any minute!

_One more hit! I just need-_

As you watch the injured human bend down and pick up the gold pieces, you feel something push you forward.

You need to stop that thing.

You need to...and you want to!

It’s the only way to get your soul back!

_You know what? Screw it!_

Desperation takes hold, and you quickly duck underground.

You zoom ahead until your right in front of the figure.

Somewhere in the back of your mind, there’s a voice saying how stupid this is.

But you don't care.

You’re not going to risk missing a shot and lose this opportunity!

_I want my soul back!_

Steeling yourself, you pop up.

The figure is still bent over, their face inches from your own.

It’s weird...peering into your own face. Though something isn’t quite right about it.

The figure seems a bit surprised to see you but otherwise remains emotionless.

You give them a friendly smile.

"Hiya" You greet.

And before the figure can even react, you rear back and fire.

The bullet hits its mark between their eyes.

Then…

There’s a shattering sound and red fills your vision.

You blink a few times.

_Wait...what just…_

You look around the room before you.

This...isn’t the room you were in.

Granted it’s similar, but somehow you ended up next to a wall.

And the room is a different shape.

And…

Wait…

Didn’t you pass through this room a while ago?

_How did I end up back-_

You hear footsteps.

They’re coming from behind you.

Curious, you look around the corner.

You’re amazed by what you see.

It’s the figure. They seem to be walking away down the hallway and into the next room.

Looking like nothing even happened.

_Wait..that thing._

To say you’re confused is an understatement.

_I-I killed it! It was dead!_

You duck back behind the corner.

_What...what happened?_

Your thoughts struggle to figure out how you ended up here.

_We were in the other room. They were fighting monsters. When it killed the last one I popped up in front of them and...and I shot them. Point blank! It was dead! Dead! Dead! Dead! D-_

You stop.

Something in your head is beginning to click into place.

You remember.

Right after you fired that bullet there was a sound.

Almost like glass shattering into thousands of tiny pieces.

It’s one that you’ve heard before.

You had been so busy trying to figure out what that figure was you had completely forgotten about it.

It’s the same sound you heard the last time the game had-

It’s then that it finally occurs to you. The reason why that thing seemed to stare off into space at times.

It was because they were being filled with determination.

They were saving...

_Oh…_

They can control time.

_Oh no..._

Things just got a whole lot worse, didn't they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that's a thing. 
> 
> Next chapter will be posted around the end of June. I'll post the exact date when it gets a bit closer. Check my Tumblr or check back here periodically for updates.
> 
> (CHAPTER 38 POST DATE- July 4th)


	38. Help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, just a quick note. I try very hard to keep the lore and game mechanics intact while writing this story, but you'll notice that I did have to change a couple of things while writing this chapter. Nothing too major, but if it bugs you I am sorry. I messed up a detail early on in the story so I had to change the mechanics a bit to make it work. 
> 
> Also, did a few minor changes to the last chapter and the one before. Nothing that I think you need to go back and read, but you can if you want.
> 
> Enjoy ^-^
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

Staring blankly ahead, you sit alone in the shadows.

Darkness surrounds you.

The only light source in the area is coming from a hole in the cavern above, focused on the center of the room like a spotlight

The rays of light shine onto a patch of grass, but the rest of the room remains dark. The ambient light barely illuminates the large stone doorway on the opposite wall.

The darkness is so thick that you can’t even see the doors that are there. But you know that they exist. The exit to the Ruins continues to almost mock you, but you pay it no mind. You are more concerned with the smaller set of doors nearby.

Listening intently for any sign of movement on the other side, you wait for the unavoidable battle that will soon erupt from within.

A battle that will not last long.

A single thought crossing your mind as you sit alone in silence.

_This is so stupid..._

After you had realized the figure could save, you knew it would be pointless to try to stop them.

There was simply nothing you could do.

You knew no matter what you tried, the figure would be able to simply go back to their last save point and continue from there like nothing ever happened.

Yet despite this, you still felt the need to do something about it.

So, much to your annoyance, you ended up continuing to follow the figure. The feeling of determination not ceasing to plague you with useless plans of action as you do so.

These thoughts continue to race through your mind until you had finally reached Toriel’s house. When the figure stepped inside, you thought your urge would end there. It wasn’t like you could follow them through the house after all.

But no.

The determination still continued to push you forward, eventually leading you to the edge of the Ruins where it had finally stopped.

Leaving you with no possible way to go.

Seeing it still won't let you leave the Ruins but you're still determined to follow the figure.

So, now all you can do is wait.

It's just a matter of time.

Eventually, the figure will leave and you won't be able to follow.

And that will be the end of that.

You continue to stare, not really focusing on anything in particular around you.

You just listen and wait for the figure to soon pass through.

And you’re sure it will.

With nothing stopping it, there isn’t any reason it wouldn’t.

You feel a nagging sensation in the back of your skull and you frown.

With your determination not knowing how to proceed, it’s just giving you something akin to anxiety.

Which really pisses you off.

_This is so stupid!_

_I can’t do anything! OK!_

Several thoughts pop into your mind, different ways that you might be able to stop that thing but you quickly shake them away.

_Stop it! Nothing is going to work! I can’t kill it! It’s not going back where it came from! And it’s pointless to warn anyone! The monster’s in the Ruins have nowhere to go. They can’t escape and hiding would only be a waste of time. The only places to hide around here are behind pillars or in the tiny holes that only mice can fit in! ...Or a really small froggit._

You're finally able to push your thoughts aside but you still feel determined to do something.

It's starting to give you a headache.

You rub your head tiredly.

You know that all of this is completely pointless.

You should be hiding. You’re the one thing around here that has the greatest chance of survival. You just have to stay out of its way. Yet here you are, waiting for that figure to walk through those doors for no good reason whatsoever.

Nothing your determination is doing is making any sense.

It’s been like this since the beginning and you just can’t understand what it wants you to do.

For days after you nearly completed your murder spree of a playthrough, you’ve felt the determination to go back to the game. Despite having already reset the game, you still felt the need to do something but you still have no idea what.

When you woke up in the Ruins, you felt the determination to continue forward. To find Frisk. But it was weak. Not nearly as strong as before entering the game. Maybe that’s the reason why it was one of the few times you managed to put a name to it.

Still, despite being weak it managed to guide you out of the Ruins without you even realizing it. For some unknown reason, you were determined to find Frisk.

Then, you were determined to lead them through the Underground.

As time went on, your determination began to steadily grow stronger again. Strong enough that you began to notice it...but you couldn’t even recognize it as “determination.” Just as an “urge.”

Then, you had determination when you crossed the bridge.

Afterward, you felt it again when you had fled to the Ruins.

Your determination was what made you stay there and wait. It hadn’t even swayed in the slightest when you found out Frisk was no longer progressing.

There was a small surge of determination when you had heard Flowey scream.

Now, your determination is focused on trying to stop that figure.

Why?

Why are you doing these things?

Sure, eventually you had come up with some way to justify many of these decisions. But in the end, those reasons were merely afterthoughts.

You just can’t understand it.

There’s such a strong feeling of connection between these moments, but you just don’t know what it is.

You sigh wearily.

You can’t help but wonder if that thing was having the same problem you are.

After all, they had your soul.

A soul with your determination.

A soul which, surprisingly enough, has enough determination to bend time to its will.

You still find it hard to believe.

Your little soul has _that_ much determination? _Really??_

Regardless, that would explain why your determination is so hard to ignore sometimes. If you had the determination to control time, it could definitely control you too, right?

Though, if that’s the case your determination should be making you both do the same thing.

And you definitely didn’t have the urge to accumulate execution points and slaughter the entire Underground.

So, what gives?

Are they just better at dealing with it than you are?

And what about Flowey? Did he have this problem? He had determination from six different people! SIX! How the heck was he not a total mess?

Well….guess he kinda was, just not in the way you would’ve expected.

Were six humans THAT determined to kill everyone? You wouldn’t think so. Maybe...maybe because the determination wasn’t his it hadn’t affected him the in same way?

You groan.

This is just so confusing.

If anyone decided to write a story about your life, then they were going to have one hell of a time trying to explain this mess.

It’s then that you hear something.

Startled, you perk up and turn towards the door beside you.

It’s muffled, but you can definitely make out the sound of someone talking.

“I do not wish to harm you.”

Toriel says.

“However, I cannot allow you to continue any farther.”

You turn away from the door.

_It won't be long now._

The feeling to act continues to plague you and only seems to escalate when you hear the sound of Toriel’s magic flare up.

You shake your head.

_There’s nothing I can do._

The feeling doesn’t go away. Instead, it seems to get worse.

You grit your teeth as you reach up and squish your petals against your ears.

_Will you stop it already! It doesn't matter! I can’t stop it! Nothing can stop it! And it’s not like she’s real anyways! So, will you give it a rest already!!!_

Then you hear a slash and everything is silent. The feeling, seeming to have no reason to continue to persist, quickly deescalates.

You lower your leaves and let out a small huff.

Something inside you feels strange. You don’t feel bad for not stopping that thing, but you do feel a bit unsure of yourself. Though you don’t know why.

You look down at the floor in front of you.

_Why do I feel like I should’ve-_

The door beside you suddenly begins opening, immediately snapping you out of your thoughts. You quickly duck underground and move as far into the shadows as you can.

After you reemerge, you remain motionless.

You watch as the figure enters the room.

As they stroll in, you can’t help but notice two things different about them.

One is the amount of dust covering the front of their clothes and hands. It’s almost enough to mask the splatters of Flowey’s remains. Even the weapon gripped in their hand was no longer yellow, but a dusty white. Two is the shoes that now cover their feet. They were just a pair of plain, white sneakers but they looked old. Like, from the 70’s. Guess they managed to find a pair that fit them in the kids' room.

Seeing the icy tundra that awaits them, it was probably a good idea.

The figure continues onwards. Their stride even paced and confident. It's unsettling to watch, knowing exactly what the being was capable of.

The human walks into the light, but then they stop.

You can't help but feel a bit uneasy.

You know they stop for save points. You can never see them yourself but...

You know there isn't a save point here.

_Why did they just-_

"I know you are here.” A voice suddenly speaks.

It’s your voice...

Your _real_ voice.

You feel your core tense and you instantly stiffen.  

_Oh no..._

“I can feel it.” The figure says, and you begin to feel the panic rise in your core.

The figure definitely sounds like you used to, but something isn’t right with their voice. It’s almost like there’s a slight echo to it. A fraction of a second behind the original.

And the echo is different.

Like...completely different.

As if it belonged to a completely different person.

It unnerves the hell out of you.

_Shit shit shit shit._

The being remains unmoving as they continue.

“You are still tied to this body it seems, if only slight."

It’s then that you're panicking settles. You don’t feel like running anymore.

Instead, you feel curious and confused.

_I’m still tied to this body? What does that-_

In an almost amused tone, they ask you.

"Tell me, did the good doctor send you to try to stop me?"

Your brow furrows in confusion.

_The...who?_

"He must've,” They say, seeming to answer their own question, “how else would you have escaped the Void?"

_The what now?_

You lean forward slightly as you try to understand what the hell this thing was talking about.

Honestly, you have no clue.

You don’t know what the Void is or who this “good doctor” is supposed to be…

But from what it sounds like, this thing knows a lot more about what happened to you then you do.

You know you should be cautious, but you can’t help your curiosity.

This might be your only chance to finally gain some insight into exactly what happened to you.

Or to the person you used to be.

Because if you understood the figure correctly, then that actually is your real body standing before you.

And if that's correct..then what did that make you?

_I need to know._

You can hear the smile in their voice as they add "And into the body of a flower, of all things."

They let out a very small noise. It almost sounds like a laugh.

"You are both fools.”

The figure raises their head slightly, seeming to peer up at the skylight above. The hood pulls back a bit, revealing their face.

They seem to bask it the warmth of the light pouring down on them. The smile on their face widens, but something about it is a bit unsettling.

“I cannot be stopped merely by death." They explain. "It has never before, and it won't now."

Your brow furrows at their words.

What did they mean by that? They’ve only fallen into the Underground with your soul a few hours ago. But the way they made it sound….it’s been much, much longer.

Unless....

_Did they mean...that they were dead before all this?_

The creases in your forehead only deepen.

Exactly what was this thing?

"Who…” You instantly close your mouth. The figures’ head tilts and you internally curse at yourself. You need to be careful. This thing had killed everyone in the Ruins and it sounds like they’d definitely do the same to you.

But, you need to know.

Hesitantly, you ask in a quiet voice. “Who are you? What are you?"

The figure’s head slowly turns towards you. You watch as they attempt to search for you in the darkness. You shift backward a bit out of nervousness. They scan the shadows, but they can’t seem to pinpoint you. You remain on edge, you’re going to be ready to move if you have to.

After a moment, the figure simply smiles kindly. You watch their eyes, but they have yet to fall on you. They just seem to stare in your general direction. It’s then that you notice...their face looks the same as yours except something still seems off.

You noticed it earlier too, but you didn't have time to really look before you fired a bullet into their head.

Now, as you stare into their eyes you realize what it is.

The color of your eyes are different.

And actually, it’s a pretty big difference.

Now, they look completely unnatural.

They are the brightest shade of red you’ve ever seen.

The figure turns forward once more, seeming no longer concerned with locating you.

In a pleasant and calm voice that seems way too out of place, they tell you.

"I am the demon who comes when you speak its name. I have had many, but the one I favor is the one you know me best by."

Their smile widens slightly.

"I am Chara."

_Chara?_

Your eyes narrow as you rack your mind for that name.

_Chara…_

Why did it sound familiar?

_Chara..._

Wait.

Your character.

Isn’t that one of the names you used for them?

There’s been so many, but at one point you just picked one and left it.

It was your character.

So, you named it Chara.

Chara.

So this….

You feel your eyes grow wide as you stare at the figure before you in shock.

_This is the fallen child?!_

But-but they died! The fallen child has been dead for years...maybe even centuries!

So, how…

_How the hell…?_

"I have to thank you.” The fallen child says, startling you out of your thoughts. “Without your help, I would not have had this opportunity."

_Without my help?_

Your brow furrows as you rack your brain for answers. Your eyes shift as you try to recall what you might’ve done to help Chara in any way.

But you never actually met Chara in the game before. Their name is mentioned multiple times. Flowey calls you the fallen child’s name often, but you never had any interaction with Chara before.

"But…” You shake your head as you look back at the figure before you. They merely tilt their head at your voice. You gulp down a lump in your throat, this whole thing is starting to make you very uneasy.

“...but I didn't do anything."

Chara’s smile only widens. It almost appears gentle, like they were trying to explain something complicated to a small child.

"Oh, but you did. If you had not reset the timeline so close to the peak of my power, I would not have been able to separate myself from my worthless host."

_Rest the…_

It only takes a moment for something to click into place.

You knew what they were talking about.

_The reset..._

During your last playthrough, you had exited the window, reopened it, and had reset your game....

Losing everything…

All your progress was lost.

The continue button had disappeared and was replaced by a “start” button.

Then, you closed the game and hadn’t touched it for days.

However, when you had reset the game you were almost to the end.

You had almost killed every monster in the game...

You were almost level 20...

….

Or….

_Or was Chara….almost level 20?_

If that's what Chara meant by the 'peak of their power'...

And if they were inside a host then...

Was Chara actually stuck inside Frisk this entire time?

"In the void…” Chara continues, snapping you back to attention. “I was able to view all the timelines, all the possibilities, all the mistakes. I spent countless hours studying them, learning from them. I found that if you had kept going on the path you had started, this world would have been destroyed. The damaged timeline would not have been able to continue any farther, and because of that _blighted_ plant I would not have gained anything from it."

Something in their voice goes sour at the mention of Flowey, but then it returns to it’s normal...almost pleasant tone.

"But I know my mistakes and I have taken care of them. Thanks to the assistance from the good doctor, the timeline is now repaired, my adversary has been extinguished..."

Chara looks down as they hold their empty hand in front of them. The smile on their face twists, making you feel a bit on edge as they stare at the appendage before them.

"....and I have a body that is mine and mine alone."

You frown as you watch Chara flex the hand in front of them. The smile on their face only seems to grow as they say. "With enough LV, I will be able to take the king's soul and bend it to my will. He will have to submit, and I will become more powerful than anyone could ever imagine."

Lowering the hand once more, Chara adds. "It's a shame her soul was so fragile. Otherwise, I would already have everything that I needed."

Chara raises their head, their gaze fixated on the door in front of them.

The door to the rest of the Underground.

"You best stay hidden and keep out of my way." They say, their voice even and clear. "For if we meet again, if you interfere in my plans...I will kill you."

You press your lips together into a fine line, not really knowing what else to say.

You know it’s not just an empty threat.

"Farewell."

With that, Chara steps forward and out of the light.

You watch as they move through the shadows towards the large stone gate.

As they push open the massive doors, a blinding white light fills the room. You have to shield your eyes from it. After a moment, darkness returns once more.

You lower your leaf and look towards the doorway.

Chara is gone.

All is silent.

Even the magic in the Ruins seems to have died out.

You lower your gaze to the floor.

_Well...that was something._

Now alone with your thoughts, you're finally able to cycle through the newly acquired information in your head.

So…

From what you understand, everything that has happened so far has been entirely your own fault.

If you hadn’t reset the game when you did, none of this would’ve happened.

If you would’ve just finished your playthrough, then Chara’s spirit...or...whatever it was…it wouldn’t have been able to separate from Frisk.

Chara wouldn’t have been able to steal your soul or your body.

And you’d still be sitting at home, eating your Oreo’s in your pajamas.

But no.

You reset the game at level 19.

They got out of Frisk’s body.

They escaped into the void...wherever the hell that was supposed to be.

And they managed to basically fuck up your entire existence!

Cause guess what?

You are not the person you thought you were.

You can’t be.

You don’t have your soul or your body.

Before you were able to convince yourself that a mind and a body meant you were still you, but now…

You can’t say that anymore.

Chara had more pieces of the person you use to be so technically, they're the real you now.

And you?

You're just a flower with someone else’s memories, fueled by determination.

Guess you really are just like Flowey, huh?

Well, that’s disappointing.

Suppose you have the...what did Chara call him again?

The good doctor?

Yeah, you have him to thank for making you this way.

What the hell does he think he’s even doing? First Chara said he was trying to stop them, then they said he was helping them? So, which is it? And why did he put yo-... _this person’s_ memories into a flower? Was he actually trying to stop Chara?!

You can’t help but let out a _‘tsk’_ as you think to yourself.

_Good luck with that, pal._

Guess he didn’t take into account that Chara stole a soul that can reset time.

There is nothing you can do to stop them now.

On top of that, from what Chara said...you aren't sure if this game is going to end anymore.

Chara told you that the timeline had been damaged but with the doctor's help, they were able to repair it.

And from what Sans said earlier, about what he saw in his reports….you think that pretty much confirms it.

Somehow, this game isn’t going to end.

It’s going to keep going.

Meaning, you have no way to escape this place.

Which is also disappointing.

So, now what?

Guess all you can do is stay here.

Stay here and wait until something else happens.

There’s nothing else left to do.

....

So…

Why do you still feel the need to do something?

Despite everything that’s happened, the determination you feel is still sitting uncomfortably in your core. You can feel it nudging you, feeding you an idea that must’ve been buried in the back of your skull.

There is still something you can do, after all.

Hesitantly, you glance at the exit.

Gently, the urge pushes you forward.

But you simply grit your teeth and turn away from the doorway.

You're can't help but be irritated.

Out of all this time...

 _NOW_ it wants you to leave?!

This is the safest place you can be! Why leave now? And worse of all, why try to interfere with Chara’s plan?!

They are unstoppable!

They have the power to do anything they want!

To kill anyone they want!

They can kill you and any monster or human they come across.

Toriel. Asgore. Undyne. Papyrus. Sans. Frisk.

…..

You stop your internal rant for a moment as you realize something.

_Oh. Frisk._

That’s right.

If Chara is in control of the timeline…

Then, Frisk isn’t.

If Frisk dies...they’re gone for good.

_Huh._

Guess you didn’t think of that before either.

Well…

It doesn’t matter.

You couldn’t care about them even if you tried.

It’s not like they’re real anyways.

None of them are.

So really, it didn’t matter.

In the end...there was nothing in this world that was real.

Even you.

You’re a part of this world now.

So, you’re just as real as it was.

_Well, that sucks._

You sigh as you shake your head, then you look over to the huge stone doors once more.

It feels like there's still a voice inside your head, egging you on.

Telling you to do it.

You groan as you quickly turn away from the sight.

_This is stupid! Why?! Why am I like this?!?! Why am I so freakin determined to try to help!?!?_

You huff as you cross your arms in front of you.

_It doesn’t make any sense….why do I want to help?_

Remaining still, you stare at the ground before you.

After a moment, you can’t help but think that something feels weird.

You can’t really place it.

It’s not an emotion.

But, something else.

A sense of…

Familiarity.

_Why do I want to help?_

You repeat this phrase again in your head.

_Why do I...want to help…._

Something about it resonates with you in such a way that you find it hard to ignore.

_I….want to help…_

Is….

Is that it?

Is what you've been so determined to do?

To help?

You think back to the times when you felt determined to act.

When you woke up in the Ruins, you wanted to find Frisk. You never really knew why you sought them out, but what if it was just because you wanted to help them through the Underground?

After all, how many times have you told someone you were “helping” them or that you just “wanted to help?” And no matter how you twisted your reasons around to benefit you, it was never the first thing on your mind. The first thing you always thought of was to just help them.

Hell, even when you heard Flowey scream from the other room your first reaction was to help him.

And after Toriel was killed. For some reason, you felt like you should've done something to help her.

...

But...

If the only thing you were determined to do was simply ‘help’, then why did you stop yourself from letting Frisk die on the bridge?

In the end, Frisk would've been fine and it would’ve been a solution to the exact same problem. Either way, you would've been unstuck and able to continue.

And then why did you run away to the Ruins, refusing to help Frisk any longer?

You even stayed there when you found out that Frisk wasn’t progressing, that they needed you to help them continue.

And even before all that…

When you were still human...or rather, still the person you use to be.

The feeling that urged you for days. You had no idea exactly what it wanted you to do, but you knew it had to do something with the game.

All along...was it simply just to help?

That just doesn’t seem right.

What would you even be helping with? You had reset the game. Everything was back to the way it was supposed to be.

But for some reason...that wasn’t enough, was it?

There was something else you needed to do.

No…

That can’t be what’s connecting all of this.

Regardless, your determination seems to be pulling you along those lines.

And it’s still pulling you in that direction now.

You groan as you press a leave between your eyes in frustration.

It’s so stupid!

Yeah, maybe when you had emotions you would’ve done something stupid like this. But what reason do you have to help these people now!? You don’t care about them! You don’t gain anything by helping them!

Even if it did benefit you, you’d still be sticking your neck out for beings that don’t really exist!

It’s just a game!

It just...

You lower your leaf and sigh.

_It doesn’t make any sense._

The worse part about it, even after all of that.

You still feel determined to help.

Taking quick glances at the door, you continue to fight the urge that seems to be pushing you towards it.

You huff in irritation with each glance.

Growing more and more frustrated each time you catch sight of it.

Until eventually, you break.

Raising your head to the cavern above, you scream.

“AGGGGHHHHHH!!! THIS IS SO. FUCKING. STUPID!!!”

With that, you quickly duck underground and speed as fast as you can out of the Ruins.

_Stupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupid-_

Your mind continues to chant this as you hit the bitter cold ground, but you don't stop there.

Continuing forward at impossible speeds, you rush to get ahead.

You need to get in front of that thing.

You might not be able to stop Chara.

But you can warn the others about them.

Unlike the Ruins, there were places to go in the Underground that even you didn't know about.

Undyne had revealed it during your genocide run. 

Some way for the monsters to evacuate.

They would at least have a chance.

And you can't help but hate yourself for realizing it.

_This is so stupid!!!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So excite! Now that we are getting out of the muddy and confusing area things should start clearing up from here on out. I can now tell you I've had one hell of a time with writer's block on this whole section of the story. To the point where I had to jumped ahead and write some parts of the other chapters just to see how it will work later. 
> 
> Next chapter should be posted by the end of the month. I will post an official date when I know for sure.
> 
> (UPDATE 8/4: Due to an upcoming convention, I won't be able to post until AUG 20th. I'm sorry T-T )


	39. The Right Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DONE! Finally!! THE CHAPTER IS DONE!!! :DDDDDDD
> 
> *shyly pushes chapter forward* I'm sorry in advance (I'm kinda a sap)
> 
> Also, I recommend those who read last weeks update to start at the page break again. Something changed slightly.
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> 

You race onward, feeling the particles of rock and ice fly past you. They roughly scrap your form as you burrow through the earth at breakneck speeds. You're going too fast for the grit around you to part without causing some mild discomfort.

But you can’t slow down.

You need to get ahead of Chara and try to find someone.

Whether you like the idea or not.

_Stupidstupidstupidstupid-_

You go around the large chasm by Papyrus’ gate and keep going. Listening intently for any sign of Chara’s whereabouts. You had spent quite a bit of time struggling against your determination earlier. Who knows how far Chara had gone before you finally gave into it.

You pass quickly by the first sentry station. Hesitating for only a moment before pushing onwards.

You know Sans isn’t there.

He couldn’t be.

There would be a lot more jumps in time if he was.

No, chances were he was slacking off somewhere else and there was no point in stopping to check.

So instead, you keep going.

It’s not long before you pick up on the soft rhythmic pulsations of footsteps.

You recognize them immediately.

They are definitely Chara’s.

As you near them, you notice that the footsteps are not moving in any definitive direction. Instead, they seem to be circling around in a particular spot.

That’s right.

They were trying to gain LV, weren’t they?

They must be looking around for monsters.

Or rather, trying to lure the monsters to them.

It made sense.

If you heard something stomping around in the woods near you, you’d want to see what it was too.

Though, the area Chara chose to pace around seems to be right in front of the second sentry station.

The one that belongs to Papyrus.

…..

Well...

Either he was already dead or he wasn’t around.

You hope it’s the latter.

You’d hate to go through all this trouble only to find out you didn’t save him either.

Regardless, now is the perfect opportunity for you.

With Chara distracted, you should be able to easily gain some distance on them.

If you can get ahead and find someone, you should be able to warn them. And in turn, they can help you warn others.

The quicker you can spread the word, the better.

Without hesitation, you quickly zoom under Chara’s feet and continue deeper into the woods.

As you hastily begin to search for any monsters nearby, you start to feel the ice-cold chill begin seeping into your core. Indicating that you’ve been spending too much time in the frozen ground.

But you can’t stop to warm up.

Not now.

You need to find someone. _Anyone!_

It’s by the electricity maze that you feel it. It’s not footsteps but there’s definitely something shuffling around in the snow nearby.

It has to be a monster.

You instantly surface, letting out an involuntary shiver as you do so.

That’s one thing you did not miss about Snowdin.

The cold.

As you flex your roots to keep them from icing over, you rub your frosty leaves together and hastily scan the area for the nearby monster.

The soft light bouncing off the snow isn't blinding but it does cause you to squint some. After days upon days in the shadows of the Ruins, you just aren't used to normal lighting yet.

Even so, it doesn’t take too long for you to spot them.

A few yards away is a bird type monster, fluttering its wings and tossing white fluffy snow onto its back. Its feathers fluff and ruffle before it begins kicking its feet and tossing more snow over its body.

You pause for just a moment, pondering the weird behavior before you push that thought aside and pop closer to it.

You emerge only a few feet away from the monster and look up at it.

At this distance, you can finally recognize who it is.

The snowflake pattern on his face makes it pretty obvious.

_Snowdrake._

The oversized duck monster continues to shuffle around in the snow, completely oblivious to your presence.

Part of you feels almost relieved.

You found someone and it didn’t take very long at all.

Now just to get his attention and tell him what’s going on.

You open your mouth…but you pause as a single thought pops into your head.

_What….What do I even say?_

You close your mouth as you lower your gaze in thought.

Great, you hadn’t really thought about it until now, had you?

So, how do you do this?

How on Earth do you convince anyone, let alone an entire society of monsters, to listen to you?

YOU!

A tiny talking flower that seems to be a strange, if not impossible, occurrence even by monster standards.

You don’t exactly have the greatest social skills, especially without a soul.

And you can’t just put on a fake persona like Flowey had. You aren’t good at that kind of thing! You tried! That’s why you’re just better off avoiding people!

You frown as your jaw clenches tightly shut.

_This is stupid! They aren’t going to listen! I’m better off just-_

Shaking your head, you quickly derail that train of thought.

It didn’t really matter, did it?

No matter what, you’re going to try anyways.

Your determination won't let you get out of it.

And you’re just wasting time trying to come up with something to say, which is a no-no when you have a genocidal ghost child possessing a human body with a sharp weapon pretty much right behind you!

_There’s no time! Just..._

You look back up to the monster before you, determination coursing through your body.

Your expression hardens as you mentally scream.

_Just say something!_

“Hey!” You shout, causing Snowdrake to jump.

Hastily, he begins to look around.

His gaze looking everywhere but down.

“Huh? Who said that?” He asks as he continues to try to search for the source of the voice.

You can’t help but roll your eyes. Of course it’s going to be like this.

Frowning, you reply. “Down here!”

Snowdrake lowers his gaze.

You continue to give him a serious gaze as he simply stares at you.

He blinks.

You try not to snap at him, but you can’t help your brow from furrowing.

Then, he looks around for a moment again before turning back to you once more.

You try to wait patiently, you need him to trust you. But damn, it’s hard when he’s taking his sweet time to process that a flower just spoke to him.

After a moment, he turns his gaze to the woods behind him

“Ok, where are you?” He asks in annoyance. Your expression turns from irritation to bewilderment.

You watch as his pointed gaze sweeps through the trees. You open your mouth to explain that you’re right here, but suddenly he yells in irritation. “I don’t know who you are but pranks aren’t funny, ya know!”

_He thinks this is a…._

You slap a leaf to your face and mutter under your breath “For the sake of-”.

Lifting your head, you yell in frustration. “It’s not a prank, bird brain!”

He glances angrily at you for only a moment before turning back to the trees.

“Hey! I’m not a bird!”

You want to argue with him, cause he was indeed a bird. However, you thought it best not to.

However, not really knowing how else to reply, you simply state. “Well...you’re close enough.”

Once again, Snowdrake glances at you before turning back to the trees.

“Seriously!” He exclaims, searching the area for the non-existent prankster. “Where are you!? How are you doing that!?”

Ok, you are really starting to run out of patience here.

Frowning, you emphasize each word clearly as you shout as loud as you can.

“IT’S.NOT.A.PRANK!!!”

Snowdrake jumps with each punctuation before finally looking down at you. This time, his gaze remains on you as he blinks in surprise.

You sigh in exasperation as you look away for a moment. This isn’t going well, but you should at least try to calm down. You need him to help you, not scare him.

Trying to remain composed and even tone, you gesture to yourself with your leaves.

“I’m right here.”

Snowdrake continues to stare at you for a moment.

Just sitting there, blinking.

Then, after a few seconds, he screams.

You watch as the bird monster stumbles backwards, looking quite alarmed.

Feeling your irritation rise once more, you roll your eyes.

You _really_ don’t have time for this.

“Ok, look!” You begin, trying to remain as calm as possible as the monster stares at you like had just sprouted a second head. “If you just-”

“But-but you're a flower!” Snowdrake suddenly exclaims.

“Ah, _yeah._ ” You snap, feeling your patience wearing dangerously thin.

“Flowers can’t talk!”

“Well, I do.” You can almost feel your eye twitching as you try not snap at him again.

“But...that's impossible! How?! How can you talk? You’re n-”

Ok, you've had enough.

Feeling your last shred of patience slip away, you shout. “Will you just shut up and listen already?!”

The bird monster stares at you wide-eyed but doesn't say another word. Now’s your chance. Frantically, you begin gesturing wildly with your leaves as you explain.

“Yes, I know! I get it! I’m a flower! I talk! It’s _alarming!_ But that’s not important right now, ok?! There is something coming. Something that's goin-”

A sound makes you stop in your tracks.

It’s the crunching of footsteps.

But...no…

_They can’t be moving already!_

Spinning around, you gaze down the path behind you.

In the distance, you see a dark hooded figure.

They’re slowly approaching.

You feel a cold shiver down your stem, a sense of dread filling you.

If Chara sees you, then they’ll know that you're no longer in the Ruins.

They’ll know that you were trying to interfere in their plans.

And they will not let you get away with it.

_Shit…._

You need to get out of here, but you haven’t told Snowdrake anything yet!

Hastily, you turn back to the large bird monster.

“Just-” You pause, your eyes darting every which way as your brain frantically searches for the simplest warning you can give him. Then, you look up at him and exclaim. “Just run, ok!?!?”

With that, you quickly duck underground.

Now that you're safe, you feel the tension in your core loosen a little.

Chara can’t get you while you're underground.

But as for Snowdrake….

You can't help but wonder...

Did he take your warning seriously?

You need to know.

Quickly, you zoom over to the nearby trees and pop up behind one of them.

As you cautiously poke your head around the large trunk, you watch the monster in front of you intently.

Snowdrake looks around in confusion. He doesn’t seem to notice the figure approaching, which makes you question his intelligence...or at least his eyesight.

_Come one, bird brain…._

After a moment, you hear Snowdrake mutter to himself.

“Well..that was weird.”

Then, he shakes his head and begins to fluff the snow around him once more.

You grit your teeth in frustration.

_No! What are you doing! You stupid moron! RUN!!!_

Looking past the monster before you, you can still see Chara approaching.

And you don’t have to be a genius to know what will happen next.

Letting out a huff of defeat, you duck back behind the tree and lean against it wearily.

You stare at the ground before you in thought.

You can't help but think that this is going to be a problem. If people are too hung up on the fact that you’re a talking flower, either they're not going to believe you or it's just going to waste time.

 _But ....I should've had more_ ** _time_** _. Why did Chara move?_  

It's a curious thought.

Why didn't they just stay there? You thought they were going to grind in that area until they wiped out every monster nearby.

They couldn’t be done already. That would be impossible.

Did they hear you shouting at Snowdrake? Or….

 _“I know you are here._ _I can feel it._   _You are still tied to this body it seems, if only slight."_

Chara can feel your presence...but how close do you have to be?

You went right under their feet before, didn’t you?

Was that close enough?

What if they already know that you had left the Ruins?

What if they know you're here right now?

You sigh and shake your head.

This might be tougher than you thought.

Either way, your determination is still pushing you to act.

There is no use trying to save Snowdrake now. As much as you feel like you should, there is nothing you can do to help him.

You need to focus on the ones that still have a chance.

And you need to keep moving.

The longer you stay in one place, the more likely that Chara will be find you.

Letting out another sigh, you ask yourself bitterly.

_Why couldn't I just stay in the Ruins?_

And with that, you duck underground and continue your search for the others.

\--------

Nothing is ever easy for you, is it?

This fact is plainly obvious to you now, more than ever, as you flee from Chara once more. Leaving yet another monster behind and sealing their unfortunate fate.

You’ve been at this for a while now, yet you still haven’t managed to save a single one of them.

And why?

Because every monster you've encountered so far keeps getting distracted by the fact that you’re a talking flower!

They just can’t get past that to actually _listen_ to you!

Even when you tried hiding in the bushes while warning them, it didn’t work. They either find you or they’re too distracted trying to guess who the disembodied voice belongs to.

And by the time they decide to finally listen to you, Chara shows up!

It's happened so many times now that, quite frankly...it's just getting ridiculous!

Seriously!?

Why are you still even _trying?!?_

The irritation boils inside you, yet you still continue onwards. Searching frantically for any sign that there’s another monster nearby.

However, these signs are getting harder and harder to come by.

_This isn’t working!_

You mentally exclaim as you continue to race ahead, passing under Lesser Dog’s sentry station.

You still can’t seem to process exactly _why_ you’re going through all this trouble. You have no reason to try to help them, yet that’s clearly what you’re trying to do.

But you don’t care about them.

You don’t owe them anything.

And what you’re trying to do is, quite obviously, not helping them at all.

Yet you’re still _trying_ and that infuriates you.

_This is stupid! Why am I still so determined to help them if I am not even making a difference! It’s just point-_

You're a bit surprised as a chill runs through your body.

_What? Already?_

Despite the heated rage building inside you, the icy cold ground still seems to seep into your tiny form.

But it’s strange.

You haven't been underground for that long, at least you didn’t think so.

You’ve been taking the time to warm up every so often, knowing that you won’t be much use to the others as a frozen popsicle. However, you’ve traveled through the snow-covered landscape enough to know when you’re going to need a break.

And despite your less than mediocre ability to estimate time, you get the feeling that you should’ve had at least a few more minutes before you needed to stop again.

Regardless, you know you have to surface before the cold becomes too much to bear.

Inwardly groaning, you pop up.

You immediately begin rubbing your leaves together and wiggling your roots in an attempt to warm up as fast as possible, looking around the area as you do so.

You know exactly where you are. You knew even before you had resurfaced, but if you hadn’t you’d be able to recognize it.

It’s the only puzzle in the Underground that utilizes the “slippery ice” mechanic.

This probably had to be one of the toughest puzzles Papyrus had ever created himself. Though, as you continue to defrost your leaves, you notice something looks...off.

You pause in your movements as you curiously inspect the area.

As far as you can tell, everything looks the way it should.

A few days after Frisk had arrived in Snowdin, Papyrus had reset all the puzzles in the area. The only exception being the color tile puzzle, in which the computer running it had mysteriously disappeared.

Regardless, the puzzle in front of you is no different. It’s set and ready to be solved. However, something is different.

Not with the puzzle, but everything around you just looks….

Darker...

A small chill sends shivers up your stem, reminding you that you had stopped moving your roots.

You flex them as you try to warm yourself up, however the chill refuses to go away.

It continues to persist, causing you to wrap your leaves around your tiny form.

_Why isn’t it going away? It wasn’t like this before. And why is it so dark-_

It’s then that it finally clicks in your brain.

You know what’s happening.

It’s that time of day where the light in the underground is slowly disappearing, taking whatever warmth it offered with it.

Day is becoming night.

_Oh no..._

This isn't good.

You don't know how cold it's going to be once it gets dark out. You've never been outside during night before, but you’d rather not find out.

_I bet I could make it to Waterfall before-_

Your determination swells inside you and that thought is quickly dashed away.

Your jaw clenches as you curse under your breath.

Well, guess that’s not an option.

You hate to admit it...but you suppose there’s still time to find someone, isn’t there?

The chill you feel is persistent but as long as you keep moving it doesn’t seem to get any worse.

So, now what?

You can’t fight your determination to help.

But what you’re doing right now is clearly not working.

You need to figure out a better plan.

_Where am I going wrong?_

You rub your leaves together vigorously as you try to think.

_What if I got farther ahead? Maybe then I’d have more time to get them past the whole “talking flower” thing. But...is there even anyone else still out there?_

You sigh in exhaustion as you lower your gaze to the snow in front of you.

With everyone in different places, it’s hard to keep track now. You try to recall everyone you’ve seen.

_There was Snowdrake, the chilldrakes, Doggo, Lesser Dog, the Dog couple, Greater Dog, the snow caps, Gyftrot, even Jerry! All of them had a turn on the chopping block. Who's even left to-_

You pause as something on the ground catches your eye.

There’s a rather large indentation in the snow before you that you hadn’t really noticed until now. It’s very distinctly shaped and the more you look at it, the more familiar it becomes.

It only takes a moment for you to finally recognize it.

It’s a footprint.

And you know exactly what foot it belongs to.

You’ve seen that foot before, rather up close and personal in fact.

That foot had been inches in front of your face after a certain skeleton had flipped out of a window.

Your breath catches in your throat as a single name pops into your head.

_Papyrus._

Although you can’t feel joy, you do feel something along the lines of satisfaction and excitement.

_He’s still here! He’s still alive!_

This is perfect!

This the solution to your problem!

Papyrus already knows you're a flower! So, you don’t have to waste time getting that through his thick skull. He already trusts you! And he’ll believe pretty much anything you say!

He can help you evacuate the Underground!

_I have to find him!_

A sense of urgency bubbles in your core as you quickly inspect the track before you.

You have no idea how to tell when the footprint was left, but it’s not going to stop you from trying.

The indentation appears clean and crisp, so it had to have been left recently…

Right?

But if that was the case, why didn’t you hear him while you were underground?!

_Papyrus is loud enough to hear from a mile away! Why didn’t I-_

You shake your head, trying to refocus your thoughts.

It didn’t matter.

At some point in recent time, Papyrus was here.

And as you inspect the trail of footprints before you, it seems like he was alone.

You follow the tracks with your eyes, leading you across the landscape and towards the town of Snowdin.

If he was just here, maybe you can still catch him?

You should be able to easily convince him to help you.

However, he’s going to want to know where you’ve been. And on top of that, he has a tendency to see things in a different light. He interprets things the way he wants to see them.

Which could prove to be a challenge but, at this point, Papyrus is your only shot.

You just need to have some time alone with him. Without any interruptions from Chara.

Hastily, you glance over your shoulder.

The path behind you is clear, but you know it won't be for long.

Chara doesn't seem to take long to catch up to you.

You need to find a way to stall them.

Turning back around, you inspect the area for any possible way to delay their progress.

Your eyes immediately fall on the puzzle before you.

Every square is defaulted to X, making the solution the same as it’s always been.…

But…

_What if I messed with it a little?_

Feeling clever, you smirk slyly before ducking underground.

You maneuver under the frozen ice and when you reach the first square, you pop up.

Looking down at the X before you, you reach out and touch a leaf to it.

The shape changes from an X to an O.

Then, you move over to another square and do the same.

Except this time, you change it to a triangle.

You do this only a few more times before turning to inspect your work.

You are overwhelmed by a smug sense of satisfaction.

The solution is different now.

There is no way for Chara to solve the puzzle quickly.

_Have fun, Chara._

Not wasting another moment, you pull yourself under the frozen earth and head towards the direction of Snowdin.

You quickly zoom forward, listening intently for Papyrus’ heavy footsteps.

Hopefully, you can catch him before he gets into town

It will be easier to talk to him while he’s alone.

Without any interruptions…

Especially from a certain angry skeleton.

As you speed onwards, you feel the cold begin to seep into your form once more.

For now, you ignore it. You’re in too much of a hurry to worry about that right now. Besides, you should still have time before the cold actually becomes a concern.

Instead, you focus on the vibrations around you.

_He’s got to be around here somewhere….unless I was wrong….but no. I know he’s here. He has to be._

As you near Greater Dog’s outpost, you feel it.

Something is moving a bit further ahead.

You can feel the soft drum of footsteps but...they seem too light to belong to Papyrus.

The tall skeleton always walked with a sense of overwhelming confidence and his footsteps were as loud as his boisterous attitude.

Either way, it sounds like they’re almost to the bridge.

If it’s indeed him, you need to stop him and fast.

Quickly, you emerge from the ground.

You can’t help but shiver as the bitter cold frosts over your body but you don’t have time to dwell on that.

Despite your whole being feeling unusually stiff, you look up.

Several feet away from you is a towering form steadily walking towards the bridge, red cape swishing with each step.

You can’t help but notice how the form is slightly hunched and the confidence that usually radiates from it is no longer present.

Instead, it seems...unsure.

Which would explain why you didn’t hear him earlier since his footsteps are unusually quiet as well.

But there is no mistake.

It’s him.

And as you watch the figure take a single step onto the odd rock formation to Snowdin, you open your mouth and call to him.

“P-papyrus-s!”

You can’t help but cringe at your unsteady tone. The cold seems to have gotten to you, at least enough to make your voice shaky.

But at this point, you’re more focused on the figure before you. You intently watch as the tall skeleton stops in his tracks and perks up.

It only takes a second for him to spin around and his eyes immediately fall on you.

Upon seeing you, Papyrus’ surprise expression instantly breaks into a huge grin.

“TINY FLOWER!!” He exclaims happily before quickly hurrying over to you.

When he reaches you, he falls to his knees. His hands hover over you but he doesn't try to pick you up. Which is good, because right now you don’t think you could pull your roots in fast enough for that. They’re too rigid from the frozen ground for you to react that quickly.

Which reminds you….

_Freakin’ A! It’s cold!_

You wrap your leaves around you, the frost coating them crackles as you do so.

Now that you are no longer in a rush to find the tall skeleton, you notice that everything about you feels about ten times harder to move and that it’s flippin freezing!

You shouldn’t have waited that long to surface. With the temperature steadily dropping, you’re going to get colder, _faster_.

You’ll be lucky if you didn’t damage anything.

"THERE YOU ARE!!” You hear Papyrus shout in glee. “THANK GOODNESS YOU’RE ALRIGHT!! THE HUMAN AND I HAVE BEEN LOOKING EVERYWHERE FOR YOU!!”

You continue to listen to the skeleton ramble, but you don’t really pay much attention.

Instead, you focus on quickly checking over your functions.

You flex your leaves and they respond accordingly. They make an unnerving crackling noise but overall they seem unharmed.

As you hold your leaves tight to your body, you begin trying to wiggle your roots.

It’s then that you notice they are really difficult to move. They seem to have stuck to the frozen particles in the ground and are unwilling to move easily for you.

It makes you panic for a second, however you relax as you feel them quickly loosen up. You think if you keep wiggling, then they’ll come loose eventually.

Overall, everything seems fine.

So, as you continue your normal warm up procedure, you turn your attention back to the skeleton.

Who doesn’t seem to have noticed that you really weren’t paying attention.

“-WE EVEN TRIED LOOKING IN SANS’ SOCK PILE, BUT WE COULDN’T FIND YOU ANYWHERE!!!”

You notice that Papyrus doesn't seem to be smiling anymore, instead his smile seemed to have turned into a look of concern.

_Huh, wonder when that happened?_

The skeleton sighs in an exasperated manner before finally asking “WHERE ON EARTH HAVE YOU BEEN?!”

The question causes your determination to flourish and you mentally slap yourself.

For god’s sake, you were so distracted by the cold you had almost forgotten why you were even here!

Looking away, you try to come up with an answer for him. Damn, you knew this was coming but you weren’t exactly prepared for it.

“It’s uhhh…”

After a moment, you just shake your head.

You don’t have the time for this!

Sure, you stalled Chara but it doesn’t mean you can just waste what little time you have.

And you’ve wasted enough already!

You turn back to the skull hovering above you and say “Look, that’s not important right now.”

Fortunately for you, your body seems to have warmed up enough to get rid of your stutter. But not enough to make the chill go away. Your leaves remain wrapped around your body as you continue to work at your roots, which are finally able to move freely once more.

You watch as Papyrus gives you a very confused look.

“IT’S….IT’S NOT? BUT...” He turns away from you as he puts a finger to his mouth in thought. “IT SURE FEELS IMPORTANT.” He mutters loudly, probably more to himself than you.

“Trust me, it’s not.”

Papyrus gives you an odd look but you pay it no mind.

You need to hurry up and get to the point already.

After quickly searching for the right words in your head, you say “I need you to do me a favor.”

At this, Papyrus smiles.

“OF COURSE!” He exclaims before proudly pressing a hand to his chest. “I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO AS-”

“Yeah yeah, that’s great.” You say this as you take a nervous glance over your shoulder.

Turning back to the skeleton, who merely blinks at you in confusion, you explain very clearly. “Listen, I need you to go and tell everyone to evacuate.”

The skeleton looks quite bewildered and surprised by your request.

“E-EVACUATE?!”

You nod as you feel the intense need to hurry swell inside you. “Yeah and I need you to go quickly. W-”

“BUT-BUT WHY?!” Papyrus suddenly asks, making your jaw clench tightly shut.

Suppressing your building irritation, you merely say “There’s something coming.”

“SOMETHING?! WHAT KIND OF ‘SOMETHING’?!” Papyrus seems completely oblivious to your sense of urgency.

The tips of your leaves dig into your stem as you will every fiber of your being to remain calm.

All you want to do is shout at the clueless skeleton before you.

_For fuck’s sake! I don’t have time to explain everything!_

But you can’t.

You need to be patient with him.

If you say the wrong thing to Papyrus, it could spell disaster.

And he is your only chance to finally get your determination off your freakin’ back!

You know you can’t tell him whose coming. You don’t think that would be a good idea.

So instead, you simply tell him. “Something…. _bad._ ”

“BAD?” He asks curiously and you nod your head in response.

The skeleton turns away and hums in thought.

“HMMM….”

You feel tense as you wait for his response. You think he might finally understand.

_Come on! Just say you’ll do it already!_

A few moments pass. Then, as he looks off to somewhere unknown, you hear him mutter loudly “WELL, WHATEVER THIS SOMETHING IS THAT’S SO BAD….”

He turns back to you with a large grin, holding up a finger as he declares. “IT CANNOT BE AS BAD AS I AM GREAT!”

You stare at him and blink.

Your mind races frantically as you try to decipher exactly what Papyrus had just said.

_As bad as…-what???_

However, he doesn’t really give you time to.

You watch as the skeleton begins to get to his feet. “NOT TO WORRY, TINY FLOWER!”

The skeleton then strikes a dramatic pose, and you can’t help but get the feeling that you did not get your point across to him.

“I'M SURE WHATEVER THIS BAD THING IS, IT IS NO MATCH FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” He exclaims and you feel something unpleasant swell in your core.

“I’LL JUST GO TAKE CARE OF IT MY-”

“No!!” You shout in exasperation, causing Papyrus jump slightly. The boneheaded skeleton looks down at you in a mix of confusion and shock.

Now that you think about it, you’ve never yelled at him before have you?

But the irritation inside you is beginning to scratch at the back of your skull.

_Why don’t these monster ever just freakin listen?!_

You take a breath. You need to calm down.

Yelling at him is not going to get him to listen to you.

You need to make him understand. Very slowly, you hold your leaves in front of you as you calmly tell him. “Papyrus...just. Listen…”

The skeleton doesn’t say a word. He just stares down at you and blinks.

You decide to continue.

“Do not try to stop that thing.” You slowly explain, hoping to get it into that thick skull of his. “You _can’t_ stop that thing-”

“BUT I-” You quickly cut him off as you point and shout “No buts!”

You can feel the frustration begin to gnaw at you again, but you try to repress it.

Still, you can feel it creep up as you sternly tell him with a frown. “Just go into Snowdin and tell the people to get out of the city. To find a place to hide. To not come out, no matter what.”

Papyrus blinks and after a moment he asks.

“NO MATTER WHAT? BUT WHAT IF THERE IS AN EARTHQUAKE. OR A FLOOD. OR A TORNADO. OR A SHARK INFESTATION. OR A SHARKN-”

_Holy freakin’-!_

“I said NO MATTER WHAT!!” You shout, feeling the rage building inside you. Honestly! This is not worth your fucking time and energy!

_Why am I even trying?!_

Despite this, you know you still have to.

You’re determined to make Papyrus understand.

You’re determined to try to save him.

_But dammit! This is just freakin ridiculous!_

Growling, you shake your head and tell him hastily “I don’t have time for this! Look! Any of those things are nothing compared to what this human will do if they-”

“A HUMAN!?” Papyrus shouts, a spark seeming to ignite in his eyes.

Instantly, your frustration deflates. A sense of dread quickly replaces it as you stare up into the delighted face of Papyrus above.

You weren’t paying attention to what you were saying...were you?

No, you were too frustrated and in too much of a hurry to really think about what you were saying.

And now...

_Oh no._

“THERE’S ANOTHER HUMAN IN THE UNDERGROUND?!” He asks you excitedly, making your core sink even further.

You messed up.

You messed up _big_.

Holding your leaves in front of you, you try to get his attention.

“Papyrus, wait -”

But it’s no use. You can tell his mind is already being filled with over exaggerated thoughts of grandeur.

“WOWIE! THAT DOUBLES THE AMOUNT OF HUMAN’S I’VE MET BEFORE! WHAT LUCK! THIS IS MY SECOND CHANCE TO FINALLY CAPTURE A HUMAN!”

Papyrus looks to the path behind you.

The determination you feel escalates.

Quick, you need to do something!

He takes a step forward as he begins moving in that direction.

“I WON’T FAIL THIS TIME! I AM G-”

As you watch Papyrus begin to lift the foot nearest you, you do the first thing you can think of.

You twist your body around his boot before it can fully lift off the ground, grabbing it with your leaves as an extra precaution.

With your roots firmly dug into the earth, you close your eyes and brace yourself.

You feel Papyrus’ foot abruptly stop. It pulls your stem tight and you wince at the tension.

_Ow!Ow!Ow!Ow!Ow!_

You feel your body strain under the pressure, but you don’t let go. Instead, you dig your roots further into the ground for support.

The next second, Papyrus is falling forward.

It takes only a brief moment for him to hit the snow-covered ground and you’re forced to let go as he does so.

You feel the snow hit your face upon the skeletons impact.

Then, just like that, all is still.

You take a moment to just breathe.

You feel a painfully throbbing sensation in your stem for just a few seconds before it quickly dissipates.

Hesitantly, you straighten yourself and open your eyes. You feel stiff and a bit sore, but otherwise unharmed.

Looking up, you can see the results of your actions laid out in front of you.

Quite literally, in fact.

You blink a few times in amazement as you as you stare at the giant lying on the ground before you.

Wow, you just tripped a seven-foot tall skeleton. You’re surprised that even worked.

That was a pretty stupid thing for you to do, though.

Really, what were you thinking?!

That could've really messed you up!

You shake your head as you watch the skeleton pull himself out of the snow.

He flips over and sits up to look at you. The confused expression on his face only serves to reignite your frustration.

The anger quickly escalates to a boiling rage as you shout.

“Will you just stop and freakin listen for once!?!?!”

Papyrus continues to stare at you, seeming to still process exactly what just happened.

A couple of moments pass before Papyrus decides to finally do something and pulls himself into a kneeling position before you.

You let out an irritated huff before turning away from him.

Just looking at his dumbfounded expression is enough to make you want to slap him.

You know you need to calm down…

But you hate this.

Everything about this.

_This is just-_

“Tiny Flower…” Papyrus’ voice is unusually soft, which peaks your curiosity enough to give him a sideways glance. He looks concerned and almost unsure of himself. “Are...are you ok?”

Frowning, you avert your gaze and stare at the ground before you.

It’s such a simple question and you can easily just deflect it by saying ‘yes’.

But as you sit there and feel the anger piling up inside you, you just can’t.

Cause let’s face it...you haven’t been ‘ok’ in a long... _long_ time.

“Ya know what?” You begin, feeling the frustration rise inside your tiny body.

“No!” You shout as you look up into the skull hover above you. “No, I am not ok!”

You turn away from him as you continue to rant, gesturing wildly with your leaves as you do so.

“I am risking my life here, and for what? To save the lives of people that aren’t even real?! I don’t understand why I’m even doing this?! I don’t care! I don’t care about anyone!!”

Finally turning to face Papyrus again, you shout. “Why am I trying so hard to help if I have no reason to! I just-!”

Papyrus doesn’t say anything and you can feel your rage begin to deflate. You sigh as you lower your gaze.

“I just...I don’t understand.” You mutter, more to yourself than to him.

The two of you sit in silence, neither of you saying a word.

You know that your little outburst probably just confused him further, but you couldn’t help it.

You think that rant had been long overdue. Your frustration in this whole thing had only been building ever since your emotions had disappeared.

Regardless, you wouldn’t be surprised if you pretty much just ruined your chances of getting Papyrus to help you.

_Maybe I can at least convince him to go home and forget about all-_

“TINY FLOWER…” You look back up at Papyrus, who seems to be struggling with something internally. “I...WELL…” He looks away as he ponders something, before turning back to you with a cheery smile. “I REALLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT BUT...MAYBE YOU CAN’T UNDERSTAND...BECAUSE THERE’S NOTHING TO UNDERSTAND.”

You give him a blank look as you ponder his words for a moment.

_Because there’s nothing to-_

“That…” You look at the ground as you run his words over and over again in your head. But try as you might, you just can’t figure out what he’s getting at.

Frowning, you turn back to him and say. “That doesn't make any sense.”

Papyrus gives you a smile, which you can only describe as sympathetic. “WHAT I MEAN IS...WHAT IF THERE ISN’T A REASON?”

Ok, now he’s just being ridiculous.

You can feel agitation forming in the pit of your core. He just didn’t understand. How could he when it was something you didn’t even understand yourself!

“Of course there’s a reason!” You exclaim in frustration. “There has to be! Why else would I be going through all this trouble!? It’s not because I care! And it's not because I gain anything from it! So, why?! Why am I so determined to help?!”

Papyrus’ smile falls slightly at your words. You turn away from him with a huff. He just didn’t understand! And you know that, no matter what, he was _never_ going to understand!

_I can’t feel anything! I can’t care about any of them! And there is no benefit to me for helping them! So, why am I still trying?! What reason is there?!_

“BUT-” As Papyrus begins, you can’t help but quickly turn and snap at him in agitation.

“But what?!”

Papyrus isn’t smiling anymore. Instead, he’s giving you a look that you can’t quite decipher. Your jaw feels tight as you continue to give him a pointed look.

You’re just waiting to hear what kind of stupid explanation he had to-

“You don’t need a reason to help someone.”

You sit there, unmoving as you continue to scowl at Papyrus.

As each second passes, you feel your jaw slowly begin to relax.

Honestly, you weren’t even sure if you had heard him at first. He was so quiet, but he made up for it by speaking so clearly.

You don't really know what you were expecting him to say...but...it wasn't this. 

You weren’t expecting this...

You watch as Papyrus lowers his gaze, seeming to contemplate his own words for a moment.

As he stares down at the hands in his lap, you hear him quietly explain.

“You don't have to care about them, or have something to gain.”

Papyrus looks up at you once more and, giving you a huge grin, he proudly states. “SOMETIMES, IT’S JUST BECAUSE IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.”

You stare at him for a moment, feeling your tense expression relax as you do so. Your brow remains furrowed as you run Papyrus’ words over again in your head.

_The right thing to do…_

You lower your gaze, feeling something swirl around uncomfortably in your core.

It’s that sensation again.

You can feel it.

It's the same one you had felt in the Ruins.

Something about this phrase….

_Why does it feel so familiar?_

“DANDY.” You turn your attention back to the skeleton, who quickly averts his gaze. 

Did...did he actually call you by name? He  _never_ used your name before.

You can't help but notice that there's something in his expression that seems almost hesitant.

“SANS TOLD ME…” He begins meekly, which is completely unlike the Papyrus you know. After a second, he turns back to you. “HE TOLD ME THAT I SHOULDN’T TRUST YOU. THAT YOU’RE A BAD PERSON. I DON’T KNOW WHY HE THINKS THAT, BUT FROM WHAT YOU’RE TELLING ME...YOU THINK THAT TOO.”

You look away for a moment, not really knowing how to really respond. Honestly, if you could define what a good person is...it probably wouldn’t be you, would it?

“BUT...BUT I THINK YOU’RE BOTH WRONG!” The exclamation surprises you a bit as you turn back to Papyrus, who radiates confidence once more. “YOU ARE A GOOD PERSON, EVEN IF YOU DON’T THINK SO. AND I THINK SANS KNOWS IT TOO.”

“ _Pffft!_ ” You can’t help the sound that escapes your lips. It wasn’t like what Papyrus said was funny, but damn it was sure ridiculous.

Papyrus looks a bit startled by your reaction, making you shake your head. Turning away from him, you mutter bitterly. “I highly doubt it.”

“I DON’T.” 

You can't help but look up at the skeleton in mild shock.

The naive skeleton smiles confidently down at you.

He just seems so sure of himself.

“EVER SINCE YOU GOT HERE, HE’S BEEN ACTING...WELL…” Papyrus looks away for a second as he tries to search for the right word. Then, he turns back to you and continues with a wide smile. “ _BETTER_. HIS PUNS AREN’T SO TERRIBLE. HE SEEMS MORE ACTIVE AND ENGAGED IN WHAT HE’S DOING, AND OVERALL...HE SEEMS...HAPPIER.”

Something in your core tightens, it’s a weird feeling.

You can’t really describe it.

Maybe it’s nausea? Either way, the longer you look at Papyrus’ beaming face the more you feel sick.

Your gaze lowers and you stare at the hands in Papyrus’ lap.

“I KNOW IT’S BECAUSE OF YOU.”

You don’t look at him, you just continue to stare ahead as you listen to his words. At this point, you really don’t know what to tell him.

Maybe if he knew what happened between you and Sans, he wouldn’t think that.

Maybe if he knew that Sans had never really liked you...

That the only reason he kept you around was because you were different.

Because you were suspicious.

That he pretty much pretended to like you just to try to figure out what you had done to the timeline.

Maybe then, Papyrus would think differently.

If only he knew, then maybe he’d change his mind.

But...damn…

_He seems so sure of himself._

You feel a slight pressure on the back of your petal. It’s soft, but you don’t know exactly what it is until you look up.

Papyrus’ large hand rests atop your head, in a way that you know is supposed to be reassuring. But without your soul, you just...can’t feel it.

That connection he’s trying to make with you…the emotion he's trying to get across to you...

It’s just not there.

You look from Papyrus’ hand to the grinning skull hovering over you.

The smile on his face seems to widen more.

“I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN YOU TWO. BUT I THINK THAT, DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP DOWN….HE KNOW’S THAT YOU AREN’T BAD.”

Papyrus continues to stroke your topmost petal and you can’t help but lower your gaze.

You don’t have a soul.

You can’t feel anything.

He has no reason to believe that you’re a good person at all.

Yet everything he’s told you…

He’s done it with such confidence, that you have to believe that’s really how he feels.

That you are a good person and that Sans knows it….

He’s so sure of himself…

Jeeze...

It makes you want to believe it too.

The crunching of snow makes you snap to attention. Quickly, you duck out of Papyrus’ hand and peer at the pathway behind him. You can't see much, the Underground has gotten much darker in that small amount of time. But off in the distance, you can see it. There’s a dark shadow looming there, and steadily growing closer.

Chara is coming.

Oh no…

They must’ve solved the puzzle! Or...or they realized that if they just left the area for a while the puzzle would reset by itself…

You...you forgot about that.

Either way, it didn’t matter.

It’s done.

You’re out of time.

Even if you got Papyrus to run off and warn the others now, he’s not going to have enough time to do it! 

Snowdin is _literally_ right behind you!

You sigh as you duck back around Papyrus.

Staring at the snow in front of you, you accept your defeat.

Well, that’s it then.

You tried.

But despite your efforts, it didn't help any.

It still looks like Papyrus is next.

You take a moment to look up at Papyrus, who stares back at you questionably. It’s obvious that Papyrus hadn’t even noticed the footsteps yet, though it might be because they're too quiet for him to hear. 

Your determination struggles to come up with some way to save him, but you know it’s useless. Even if you get him to leave now, Chara will just catch up to him.

You can’t save Snowdin and you can’t save him.

But jeeze…

You were so close!

If only you had more time…

...

....

...if…

_If only **he** had more time…. _

An idea pushes through to the forefront of your mind. A way for you to help everyone but...you absolutely hate it.

Quickly, you shake your head.

_No! What am I thinking?! I...I can’t just-_

But your determination is pushing you. It’s urging you to act and to act now. It’s so strong, it feels like you’re going to explode.

This...this isn’t just about wanting to help anymore, is it?

No...this is much.. _m_ _uch_ stronger.

In the back of your mind, you think to yourself.

_This is stupid!_

But even so, you still turn your attention back to the skeleton before you.

You’ve got one shot at this.

Just one.

Taking a deep breath, you tell him.

“Listen, Papyrus. Please just...do what I ask. No questions. Please?”

Papyrus stares at you for a second, seeming a bit unsure. Then, his expression sets and he gives you a firm nod. “ALRIGHT.”

So far so good, though in your mind you are screaming at yourself to stop.

Regardless, you continue sternly.

“Go warn the others. Get them all to safety. And whatever you do...do not come back here.”

“BUT WHAT ABOUT-” Quickly, you cut him off.

“Paps!” You shout, realizing soon after that you had actually used your little nickname for him. You hadn't used that in a long time, have you?

The skeleton still seems unsure, but regardless he replies “R-RIGHT.”

The lanky monster climbs to his feet and you take a moment to look at the path behind him. Chara was nearing, but they still haven't reached you two yet. You still have time, but not much.

Looking up at Papyrus, you see him wringing his hands and giving you a concerned look.

He averts his gaze. “UMM…..”

It’s clear that he wants to ask you something, but seeing you said no questions…

You sigh wearily, you know what he wants to ask.

Looking up at him, you do something you haven’t done in a long time.

You put on a friendly smile.

At least, you hope it looks that way. 

“Don't worry.” You say, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. “There's still one thing I have to do yet. Once that’s over, I’ll catch up to you. Ok?”

Papyrus’ expression lightens at hearing your words, he seems more relaxed now.

“OH….A-ALRIGHT.”

Still smiling, you nod to the path behind you.

“Ok, now go on then.”

Papyrus nods, looking much more okay with the situation at hand.

“RIGHT! DON’T TAKE TOO LONG!” He exclaims as he quickly runs down the path behind you.

Turning, you watch as he steps onto the land bridge and begins quickly crossing it to Snowdin.

Soon, he becomes nothing more than a shadow in the approaching darkness and it's not long before he completely disappears from sight.

For the time being, you are alone.

You suddenly realize that for some strange reason, you’re still smiling.

Instantly, the fake grin is wiped off your face.

You let out an exhausted sigh.

Seriously..

What on earth are you doing?

Your gaze lowers to the ground before you. You let out a little shiver and realize you had stopped moving your roots. You quickly begin wiggling them, but they don’t seem to want to warm up very fast. The forest seems to be getting colder by the minute, but at this point there’s no way to avoid it.

As much as you hate the idea, you’re just going to have to forget about the approaching cold and focus on trying to stall Chara.

Though you think if you left things up to the murderer, you wouldn't have to deal with the cold for long.

Sitting there idly, your mind continues screaming at you.

_Have I gone completely crazy?!? This is suicide!! Chara is going to fucking destroy me!! I’ll be nothing more than a mess of plant pieces, just like Flowey!!_

Yet your determination stands firm. This is what you have to do.

You groan as you shake your head.

_This is STUPID!!! Why?!? Why am I doing this?!? I don’t have any reason to-_

**_“You don’t need a reason to help someone.”_ **

Papyrus’ voice echoes in your head.

**_“SOMETIMES, IT’S JUST BECAUSE IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.”_ **

You pause your internal ramblings to contemplate Papyrus' words.

_The right thing to do?_

As you reflect on this phrase, you feel that sense of familiarity return.

The same one you had felt in the Ruins.

When you realized you were determined to help.

Except for this time...this time this seems a bit...stronger…

So…

Is this it?

After all this time. Is this what all the trouble's been about? That for some stupid reason, you hung onto some sense of morality?

It would explain why you left Frisk and refused to return to them. You said you would keep them safe, even if it was from you. And let’s face it, you had thought of doing some pretty morally questionable things to them before.

But that’s just...just stupid!

You shouldn’t feel morally obligated to do anything for these people!

_They aren’t real! They never **were** real! They're just fictional characters! Living out fictional lives! Inside a fictional world! All of it's fake! It's all just a stupid game! _

Even as you think this, you still refuse to budge. Your determinations stands firm.

Despite everything, you're still here.

Putting yourself in harm's way to protect them.

You groan in frustration as you press a leaf between your eyes.

_So, is that it? All of this, just because I’m determined to do the right thing?_

You lower your leaf and shake your head.

But then you stop.

_The right thing…_

Your brow furrows.

Curious, you turn that phrase over and over again in your head.

Something about those words.

That _exact_ string of words…

It hits a place you didn’t even know existed.

Yeah, you've heard them before...

But...it's not that.

These aren’t just familiar to you.

No...

You _know_ these words.

These words _mean_ something to you...

**_“so as long as you hold on...so as long as you do what’s in your heart...i believe you can do the right thing.”_ **

Sans...

That’s right.

He had used these words before, hadn't he?

**_“somewhere in there, i can feel it. there’s a glimmer of a good person inside of you. the memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing.”_ **

More than once.

The gears in your head begin to turn as you remember his words from that fateful night.

**_“someone who, in another time, might have even been...a friend?”_ **

There’s something there, some spark of insight that you are struggling to fully comprehend. It’s something that you think has always been there, but your mind could never grasp the concept of it. So you buried it, back as far as it could go. Now though, you think you’re finally beginning to understand.

**_“c’mon, buddy.”_ **

....

This…

**_“do you remember me?”_ **

This stopped being just a game to you a long time ago, hadn’t it?

It’s so obvious to you now.

These characters aren’t just ‘characters’ to you.

They’re real.

When you had a soul, you cared about them as if they were real people.

Guess your soul didn’t really know what the difference was, huh?

But your mind did.

And until now, you just couldn’t comprehend why you were so determined to help them.

Now...now you get it.

It was because your determination came from your soul and your soul saw them as being real.

As being alive.

So you wanted to help them, you wanted to do the right thing...

Because....

A certain punny skeleton always thought you could…

It’s stupid.

That you had to lose your heart so your head could finally understand.

You remember something you said back at Grillby’s. Something you told Frisk after a nightmare.

What was it you said exactly? That dreams were only as real as you made them?

Well….guess this one is pretty real, huh?

Your head lowers slightly as you close your eyes. There’s a slight chill that runs over your skin, but you pay it no mind.

_Jeeze...it’s just…._

Something inside you begins bubbling, a sensation coming from the very bottom of your core. The sensation creeps up and you can’t help but shake as a sound creeps from your mouth.

It’s a giggle.

For some strange reason, you’re giggling.

_It’s...it’s so…_

The giggle soon evolves into a quiet chuckle. From there, it quickly escalates. You throw back your head as you roar in laughter.

You laugh...and laugh...and laugh...and you have no idea why.

Well, guess that’s that.

You finally lost it.

Any sanity you had left seems to have been just thrown out the window.

Oh well.

You’re gonna die soon, anyways.

The loud crunch of snow causes your laughter to quickly die.

You lower your head as you listen to the footsteps approach you, feeling their vibrations through your roots.

They feel several feet away before finally stopping.

Looking up at the vast dark cavern above, you take a deep breath.

Well.

Guess it’s your turn now, huh?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh! Just a little fun fact. The whole Snowdrake playing in the snow is based on my chickens when they give themselves a dust bath. A not fun fact, I actually lost 2 chickens while writing this chapter to a weasel. RIP Tweet and DumbDumb.
> 
> Note from 9/2: Thank you, everyone, for your patience on this chapter. Here's another fun fact: I kinda wanted to name the chapter "Dandy Goes Crazy and Stuff" after an Invader Zim episode names similarly...but I thought that would be too light hearted right now.
> 
> Not sure when the next chapter will be posted. Stuff is going down at my office of employment and it's going to be very hectic until that sorts out (I'm working 52 hours a week right now) So I'll let you know! Plan on it being at least a couple of weeks though. 
> 
> Also, sorry for not responding to comments. I wanted to wait until this chapter was done before replying to them.
> 
> (UPDATE 9/9: I Did an Audio Update Thang! [HERE](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com/post/165168192879/my-cringy-audio-updateblog-thingy-listen-if-you)  
> But if you don't want listen to the cringyness, basically next chapter will be posted either end of Sept or early Oct.)


	40. Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Next Chapter is...mostly up? I don't know if I want to expand this chapter a bit or make the next chapter a bit smaller. I'll let you know forsure. For now, I'm leaning towards adding to this chapter a little bit later. So keep an eye out for any updates to this chapter in the future ;) I'll make sure to post on 
> 
> [Tumblr](http://sillymillyxd.tumblr.com)  
> [Deviantart](http://sillymillyxd.deviantart.com)  
> my Tumblr page if I do so.

You turn around to face Chara.

Silence surrounds the two of you as you simply stare at each other, unmoving.

Even with the approaching darkness, their expression is easy to read. They are completely unconcerned by your appearance.

Which is understandable.

You are not a threat to them.

No, to them this is nothing more than an inconvenience.

You are just in their way.

The landscape seems unnaturally quiet. Whether that was a result of Chara’s doing or because nature could sense the upcoming conflict, you had no idea.

But it added a sense of finality to everything that you found hard to ignore.

This was it.

This was the end for you.

You can’t beat Chara.

You just don’t have the amount of determination that they do.

And that was fine.

Cause despite knowing the end is near, you feel nothing.

With Chara’s hood pulled up and sharp weapon gripped firmly at their side, they are giving off an aura that most sane people would find unsettling.

And still...you feel nothing.

Not even fear.

Just an overwhelming sense of determination.

Wow…

You really have gone crazy, haven’t you?

There is just no sense of self-preservation left in your tiny body.

Maybe it’s because you finally understand what has been pushing you forward all this time.

Maybe it’s because you are simply tired of fighting it.

Either way.

It didn’t matter.

The only thing on your mind right now is stalling Chara.

That is your task.

Not even the subtle breeze blowing across your path could distract you from it. Though you have to suppress a shiver as the wind sends a chill up your stem.

Despite not fearing death, you know you won't be any use if you’re frozen solid.

So, as you keep your roots moving, you remain focused on the human before you.

How long would Papyrus need?

Ten...maybe fifteen minutes?

You doubt you can stall for that long.

But at this point, anything that would give Papyrus a head start would have to do.

The good thing is that Chara probably has no idea what you’re up to.

They shouldn’t have any idea that you’re simply stalling for time.

You can use this.

You just need to find a way to waste as much time as possible without them catching on.

But how?

….

Well...

Talking seems like a good place to start.

Except you have no idea what to say.

You feel like you need to say something witty or something that would be interesting enough to listen too.

But, you can’t think of anything like that right now.

You look at the ground as you rack your brain.

After a moment, you look up and say the only thing you can think of.

“Hiya.” You say as you offer them an overly cheery smile.

Chara says nothing.

They only continue to watch you intently.

After a moment, your fake grin falls.

You were kind of hoping for some sort of reaction.

Seems like they’re giving you the silent treatment now, though.

Guess their conversation with you in the Ruins was a one time deal.

Which made sense.

A predator does not converse with their prey.

So back then...

Chara must’ve really thought you wouldn’t follow them.

This thought makes the corner of your mouth tweak upwards in amusement.

“Surprised to see me?” You ask smugly, but only receive silence as a reply.

You let out a dry chuckle. “Yeah, me too.”

Chara responds by taking a step forward, much to your surprise.

Seems like they really don’t care what you have to say.

But you need to make them stop and listen.

At least for a while.

“Hey, just wait a second.” You say with a frown.

But Chara pays you no mind and steps forward again.

Irritation begins to grow within you as you shout to try to get their attention.

“Hey!”

Chara simply takes another step.

You growl as you feel your features twist into a sinister sneer.

“Knock it off!!” You yell, feeling your frustration boiling within you.

For some reason, Chara finally stops.

They stand there, unmoving as they continue to watch you closely.

Scowling, you shout in irritation “Jeeze, you're freakin impatient!”

They don’t respond, but they don’t move either.

You look away as you let out a frustrated huff and think about your next move.

Now with Chara’s attention, you need to think of something to say and fast.

The cold still threatens to overwhelm you, but you continue moving your roots to keep it at bay as you quickly think of something to tell them.

You can’t give away what you’re actually doing, but you need to give them some sort of information to chew over.

You turn back to Chara as the words begin forming in your head.

“Ok, so look. Here’s the deal.” You say, the words still forming in your head as you continue to speak.

“I know you said that you’d kill me if I got in your way.” You avert your eyes, remembering how Chara swept through the Ruins. “And trust me, after seeing the mess you made, I believe you.”

Turning back to them, you shrug as you give them an awkward grin.

“But in the end, I don’t really care.”

You suddenly become painfully aware of just how empty you feel.

“Seriously, I don’t. I can’t even if I wanted to.”

Your gaze lowers as you can’t help but focus on this sensation. “I don’t care about anyone...or anything...and quite frankly I’m getting real sick of it too.”

As you sit there, you remember exactly how you ended up in this situation in the first place.

The cold is starting to make your roots feel stiff and tingly, but you pay them no mind. You just continue to keep them moving as you raise your gaze to the dark figure before you.

“And I have you to thank for that.”

A swell of irritation begins to grow inside you.

“You…” You frown at them, the nightmare from before pushing to the forefront of your mind.

“You stole my body...you stole my soul! Now I’m just a freaky little flower that can’t feel anything!”

Chara’s eyes narrow, but otherwise they remain unmoving.

The tingly sensation in your roots continues to grow, they’re almost completely numb by it.

But you ignore it as you continue to rant out your frustrations to them.

“I can’t feel sad, or happy, hell…” The corners of your mouth twist into a sinister grin. “I don’t even feel fear anymore!”

The tingly sensation begins traveling up your stem. In the back of your mind, you wonder if this is might be the first stage of frostbite?

But you push that thought aside.

Instead, your smile falls as you tell them. “Because of that, I can’t make this easy for you.”

Your eyes narrow as you watch Chara’s hand grip tighter on their weapon.

“So, if you’re going to want to continue on your little killing spree through the Underground, then you’ll have to get through me first.”

Chara continues to glare at you and you can almost see their patience wearing thin.

You should probably start the battle before they decide they're done waiting.

Or before you turn into a popsicle, which at this point is becoming more and more of a possibility.

But…

How?

Even as you sit there, determined and ready for a fight, nothing is happening.

Chara’s soul remains sheltered inside their body.

“Ummmm…” You hum in thought as you stare intently at their chest. The place where there should be a soul right now.

Seeing you’ve never fought a human like this before, you have no idea how this is supposed to work.

You were kinda hoping the soul would just come out on its own, but obviously that’s not the case.

Do you have to do something to make it come out?

The only thing you can think of is it must have something to do with magic. It’s the only thing that makes sense in a world full of unexplainable phenomenon.

But if that’s the case, then you’re out of luck.

_Well, great. How can I fight Chara if I don’t have any magic?_

….

Unless….

...

Well…

Guess there is one thing you can try.

Raising your gaze, you give Chara a sheepish look.

“There is one problem.”

The human’s eyes narrow at you, and you just shrug as you respond. “I have no idea how to start this.”

“Cause obviously, your soul is still in your body. And if magic is the only way that it will come out, then we’re out of luck.”

The ice-cold chill continues to attempt to overtake you, and the tingly sensation persistently creeps up your stem. You try not to shiver as the feeling works it’s way to the very tips of your leaves. It feels like pins and needles ghosting across your skin, and your roots are beginning to stick to the ground around them even though they are constantly moving.

You know you are going to have to move soon if you don’t want to freeze.

As your roots fidget even more earnestly, you flex your leaves as you say to Chara.

“So, we’ll have to do this the old fashion way.”

You take a moment to prepare yourself, making sure you’ll be able to move when you need to.

Then, you raise a leaf and beckon Chara to come at you.

There's a moment of stillness before they charge.

As they near, they draw their weapon back.

In a fraction of a second, you duck underground and avoid their attack.

The cold ground encompasses you and the chill sinks into you like a frigid splash of water.

But you ignore it as you continue forward, zooming quickly right under Chara’s feet.

Once you are several feet away, you pop up behind them.

Hearing your emergence from the ground, they spin around as you ready a few bullets in your mouth.

As they face you head on, you quickly fire three consecutive shots.

The white bullets fly through the air at lightning fast speeds, but Chara still manages to avoid them.

Well, most of them.

One ends up grazing their shoulder.

They flinch, but otherwise seem unharmed.

Once they recover, Chara charges at you again.

But again you dodge behind them and fire.

This time, they manage to avoid your attack completely.

As you continue this pattern for a few more turns, you come to the conclusion that you don’t seem to be doing very well.

It’s one thing to hit a stationary target.

And it’s another to hit an unsuspecting one that’s moving.

And a WHOLE other thing to hit one that’s actually trying to avoid your attacks.

You might be fast, but Chara seems to be even faster.

Probably something to do with all of those monsters they’ve killed.

And it didn’t help that with the lights in the Underground fading, you are having trouble aiming properly. You can see them, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to do so.

You can barely land a hit on them, and even when you do it doesn’t seem to do much damage at all.

As you sit there, preparing a few more bullets in your mouth, you wonder why.

Didn’t you kill Chara in the Ruins with a bullet to the head?

Granted their health had been low to begin with, still...it feels like you should be doing a whole lot more damage.

…

….

Well...

Either way, it didn’t matter.

Your intention is just to stall Chara.

There really is no point in killing them.

With this in mind, you rear back and fire another set of bullets. You watch as Chara dodges them effortlessly.

You frown as you feel frustration boil within you and watch intently as the murderer plots their next move.

Damn, even though there is no reason to kill Chara...you still wish you could.

The idea of sending them back again and again.

To push them to their limit.

To get them so freakin pissed that all they want to do is completely destroy you was oddly intriguing to you.

But at this moment, it’s clear.

That isn’t going to happen.

Because you can't’ hit them and so far...they haven’t been able to hit you either.

You’re too quick.

Even as night falls and the temperature continues to drop steadily, you’ve managed to remain warm enough to retain your speed.

Though each time you go underground, it’s like a blast of ice to your core.

Still, you are keeping in motion and you know that’s the only reason you are still moving at all.

Though the constant ducking underground is starting to make your body feel weird. The tingly sensation you felt earlier is now a constant buzz that accompanied the prickling ghosting across your skin.

As you wait for Chara to move, you can’t help but focus on the sensation.

The more you focus on it, the stranger it seems.

This...this can’t be because of the cold.

The pins and needles, your limbs feeling painfully numb...yeah that’s because of it...but this…

This isn’t painful or uncomfortable to you.

It feels almost like static, making all the little nerves in your stem stand on edge.

You feel like this is familiar to you somehow, but you don’t know how.

The sound of footsteps quickly approaching reminds you of the task at hand, and you quickly duck underground before Chara has a chance to strike.

You emerge a few feet behind them once more. Chara turns around and you ready a bullet. As you roll the object around with your tongue, you feel your whole mouth begin to tingle.

Curious, you stop.

Something about this feels familiar to you.

But, you don’t really know why.

Not knowing what else to do, you merely aim your shot and fire.

A dark streak flies out of your mouth at impossible speeds.

It flies at Chara, too fast for either of you to comprehend.

Right before hitting them, it bursts into a zillion little white dots. Chara stumbles back in surprise and frantically tries to dodge them.

Chara is hit by a few, but only appear to flinch. The rest of the pieces fly off to somewhere unknown, then all is still once more.

You stare at Chara in bewilderment.

What….

What the hell did you just do?

You don’t have time to ponder this as Chara doesn't waste another moment to charge at you, and you hastily dodge out of the way.

When you emerge, you can still feel it.

The sensation continues to buzz through you.

You focus on this sensation.

You know you’ve felt this somewhere before.

The buzzing seems to grow stronger, to the point where you can swear you can hear it.

But...wait...it’s not….it’s not exactly buzzing...

It kinda sounds like...

But, no…

It’s impossible!

_I’m a flower! A flippin flower! Not a monster. There’s no way I could-_

**_“.._ ** **_and when there's enough magic in one area, it can affect the environment. it fuses with it...”_ **

_….Oh…_

_Oh!_

You’re a flower.

A _flower_!!

A flower that has been stuck in the Underground for days.

In a place where unexplained tremors pulse through the earth.

Where snow litters the ground but no weather to make it.

Where water glows green.

Where leaves grow on trees but immediately fall off.

Where there’s a breeze in the middle of a flippen underground cavern!!

You’re not just a flower.

You are a part of the environment.

A magical environment.

That’s why you can spit bullets and that’s why you can still eat human food.

You have magic.

You’re attacks are magic.

Which might explain why they don’t seem to be doing much damage.

You remember reading that human bodies were strong, so they might be more resistant to magical attacks.

Unless…

Unless their soul is out.

Back in the Ruins, Chara’s soul was out of their body when you attacked them, wasn’t it?

Maybe Chara became more vulnerable when their soul was exposed?

You know you can’t kill Chara...not permanently anyways.

But how great would it be to make them have to go back a few times?

You feel your mouth twist upwards in a wicked smile.

Making this body snatcher go back again, and again, and again….would be oh so satisfying.

It’s your turn, so you take a moment to try and think of a way to get their soul out of their chest.

You try to think of anything you might’ve seen.

Any clue to how monster’s do it.

But nothing.

If there’s any physical indication, it’s sure as hell subtle.

Damn.

Right now you wish you had realized this sooner.

Then you could have been paying more attention.

You shiver as you feel the bitter cold sink into you. Now that you were no longer in motion, you can feel the cold starting to consume you. Despite still moving your roots, they’re becoming increasingly difficult to bend. Your leaves and stem crackle with each little shift of your body, and you are having trouble controlling your shivering.

You refocus on Chara as you quickly think of some way to pull out their soul.

Maybe...maybe it’s a mental thing?

You stare at Chara’s chest and try to envision their soul in front of them.

_Come on! Get out here so I can-_

The darkness is suddenly pierced by a bright, red light. You have to divert your gaze for a moment as your eyes adjust to the sudden shift in lighting.

After a moment, you turn back to the sight before you.

Floating in front of Chara is a tiny, glowing heart.

The soul is lighting up the area considerably, casting the world around you in a bright red glow.

But it's there. You did it. Chara’s soul is now exposed to you.

_Wow...I can’t believe that actually worked!_

You can’t help but smile in satisfaction.

Now you can really get to business.

Feeling smug, you grin wickedly as you say.

“Ha! D-damn right! Now, this is g-going to get much more…”

Your sentence trails off as you continue to stare at the soul before you and you go completely still.

You can’t explain it.

But….

Something about it seems off.

All this time, you have never had a clear view of their soul.

It was always obstructed or you only could catch a glimpse of it.

Now…

Now it’s plain to see.

You can feel your roots begin to go completely rigid from your lack of movement, but you are too focused on this thing hovering before you to really care.

The soul continues to shine brightly. You watch it curiously as it pulses ever so slightly, almost like a subtle heartbeat.

The color of it is almost overwhelming to look at, it’s the reddest thing you’ve ever seen before in your life.

The soul is bright, bold, and powerful.

“My-my soul…” You mutter as you continue to stare at the floating heart in confusion. You pay no mind to your stutter as you feel something inside your core twist unpleasantly.

This soul…

It isn’t yours.

“W-where’s my soul?” You ask, not directing the question to anyone in particular. There’s a feeling in your core, you just can’t describe it. Even though you are freezing it feels like your core is on fire.

You’re still shaking, but not just from cold anymore.

Your eyes narrow at the unfamiliar soul before you redirect your gaze to the creature standing behind it. You can hear the buzzing of magic pulse angrily in your ears, feeling it completely consume you.

“Where is my soul!?!” You ask Chara, who backs up wearily in response. You feel your face contort into something grotesque, but you are too enraged to really notice.

You can feel the magic seeping from you, fueled by your fiery rage. Out of the corner of your eyes, you see small objects floating in the air around you.

Dozens upon dozens of little, black bullets.

“WHAT DID YOU DO WITH IT?!?!”

The objects around you seem to shutter in response and with one last burst of fury, you unleash them with a scream.

**_“W H A T   D I D   Y O U   D O ? ! ?”_ **

The bullets fly fourth and pierce through Chara.

The world suddenly shatters around you.

You blink a few times in confusion, and when you look up you see a skull grinning down at you confidently.

“SOMETIMES, IT’S JUST BECAUSE IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.”

You stare at Papyrus, you’re mind still trying to comprehend what just happened.

It takes only a moment for you to fully process it.

You….

You made them go back, didn’t you?

Quickly, you push all thoughts aside for now as you try to concentrate on what Papyrus is saying.

You need to make sure you say all the same things you had before.

Sure, you could try to say something different. But what if you mess up?

If you don’t do something right, Papyrus might not do what you ask.

Eventually, you manage to get the exact same outcome and you watch as Papyrus walks across the bridge of Snowdin.

You let your fake grin fall as you let out an exhausted sigh.

Now…

Now you can take the time to think.

The cold still threatens to seep into your core, but it isn’t as nearly as potent as it was towards the end of the last battle.

You should really be careful about sitting for long periods of time, you could freeze like that.

But during that time, you were too enraged to really care.

You lower your gaze as you remember the reason why you had caused Chara to go back.

That soul…

Chara’s soul…

That wasn’t yours.

You knew the moment your eyes landed on it that it wasn’t. It didn’t _feel_ like it was yours and despite only seeing your soul once in your dream, you knew it didn’t look like yours either.

Your soul is red but...it's’ not THAT red.

Your soul isn’t that bright...it isn’t that bold…

It isn’t that....

You can’t really describe it, but seeing Chara’s soul face to face...you just knew that it wasn’t yours.

You close your eyes in thought.

_I should’ve known._

You thought it was weird that your soul had enough determination to bend time.

And that explains why Chara doesn’t seem like they’re struggling with any kind of inner conflict.

Because that isn’t your soul and that isn’t your determination.

You don’t know whose it belongs to, and quite frankly you don’t really care.

All you know is that the soul isn’t yours.

And that your soul had been left in a place that...you have no idea where it is.

For some reason, you have a feeling that the “void” Chara mentioned was a place that few people knew of.

And that few people returned from.

Meaning if your soul was left there….

It’s not coming back.

_It’s really gone then...isn’t it?_

Even though you knew you were never going live long enough to even attempt to find your soul…

It still bugged you to know that it’s just...gone.

The crunching of snow behind you interrupts your thoughts.

Opening your eyes, you turn around and face Chara once more.

To your surprise, they don’t have the same expression they wore the last time. Instead of seeming unconcerned, they almost seem weary of you.

You can’t help but smile in amusement.

You caused them to go back.

The tiny little broken flower caused them to load a save.

The grin on your face widens. “So...that’s it huh?”

Chara doesn’t respond, but you keep going regardless.

“You tear me into pieces, just so you can possess my body with a mind and soul of your own?”

The buzzing of magic starts to hum angrily inside you as your rage continues to build. Your face twists into a sinister grin.

“Then what? You just leave the pieces behind?! Leave my soul to float in the ‘Void’ while my mind gets put into a stupid little flower?!”

Your determination continues to pulse within you, urging you to keep Chara occupied for as long as possible. But as you focus on their chest and pop their soul out once more, you feel like this isn’t just about stalling Chara anymore.

No...this…

This is your revenge.

And seeing that for some reason your determination wasn't resisting it, there's nothing stopping you from having it.

Your grin spreads even wider over your features as you will several bullets to form around you. They dance in the air in almost a taunting fashion.

“Well guess what?!” You yell, watching as Chara prepares themselves to fight once more.

“You should’ve finished picking up the pieces, Chara! Now I’m going to make you regret leaving them behind!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to call this chapter "Dandy Goes Crazy and Stuff" after an episode of Invader Zim but I didn't think it was appropriate for the feel of the chapter.
> 
> I'll keep you posted on when the next update will be. But I am planning on two chapters this month, so yay!


	41. Glimmer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"When the day has come_  
>  _That I've lost my way around_  
>  _And the seasons stop and hide beneath the ground_  
>  _When the sky turns gray_  
>  _And everything is screaming_  
>  _I will reach inside_  
>  _Just to find my heart is beating."_  
>  -Imagine Dragons, Bleeding Out-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...here we go!

You watch as Papyrus walks away once more, your fake smile falling more quickly this time than the last.

Your eyes focus wearily on his retreating form before he completely disappears from sight, yet you continue to stare at the last place you saw him.

Honestly, if it wasn’t for seeing Papyrus every time you went back, you’d probably forget why you were still doing this.

But he’s always there.

And he always tells you the same thing.

**_“SOMETIMES, IT’S JUST BECAUSE IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.”_ **

Closing your eyes, you let out a sigh of exhaustion.

You aren’t necessarily tired. When you go back in time it resets your energy level.

But going back over and over again seems to be draining you mentally rather than physically.

After all, no matter how hard you try you are never really going to beat them.

They’ll always come back.

And this knowledge is starting to take a toll on you.

_Maybe this is why Sans is so tired all the time._

You look up to the enormous cavern ceiling, which is barely visible through the approaching darkness.

Your roots wiggle under the cold hard earth as you stare lazily up at it, your mind wandering.

How many times have you forced Chara to go back now?

Eleven?

Maybe twelve?

Honestly, you aren’t really sure.

You stopped keeping track after seven.

At first, you enjoyed every moment of killing the little murderer. You had taunted them endlessly and took something akin to pleasure in seeing their expression get more and more frustrated after each death.

It was the perfect revenge and it was amazingly satisfying...but it didn’t take long for your satisfaction to disappear.

Quite honestly, you are getting tired of all of this.

You know your end is coming, you just don’t know when.

_I just want to get it over with already..._

You close your eyes as you feel the determination sit uncomfortably in your center.

Despite everything, you are still determined to keep going.

You still need to give the skeleton enough time to warn the others.

But so far, even though it feels like these battles are taking forever, in reality...not much time has passed at all.

Despite what it may feel like, you are still just repeating the same five-minute fight over and over again.

Although….five minutes is just a guess. You are terrible at estimating time, after all.

Regardless, you just can’t help but feel that these battles are not lasting long enough.

Papyrus still needs more time than what you’ve been giving him.

Though now, there really is nothing you can do about it.

If you lighten up or stop attacking Chara all together, they might catch on to what you’re doing.

And you need any advantage you can get.

So, you have to keep the appearance up. You have to make it so it looks like you are _trying_ to force them to reset.

Meaning you also have to rely on Chara to get better at surviving your attacks.

And so far, they have been making progress.

Each battle seems to be lasting a bit longer than the last.

Honestly, you’re a bit surprised you're giving them _this_ much trouble in the first place.

But that’s primarily due to the fact that you know you don’t have to just sit and _let_ them attack you.

You learned that from Sans.

Though, other than that, you don’t know what else is allowed.

Despite not being just a game anymore, this world still has unwritten rules.

Ones you’re not sure if you can break or not.

Well...

Either way, it didn’t matter.

With Chara constantly improving, you have a feeling that it’s not going to be much longer before everything will be over for you.

Though, at the moment you have no idea how.

If they can’t land a hit on you, how are they going to kill you?

….

Guess...

Guess when the time is right...

You’ll just have to give up, huh?

…

Jeeze...

That’s an encouraging thought.

The snow crunches behind you, snapping you out of your thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, you put on a sinister grin.

For now, you still need to pretend that you’re enjoying this.

After taking a moment to prepare yourself, you turn around once again to face Chara.

Their gaze sharpens at the sight of you and you widen your grin in response.

Despite starting to get tired of doing this, you still can’t help but find some satisfaction in seeing their expression.

“Jeeze, what’s wrong with you?” You ask them in a taunting manner. “It looks like someone shot a bullet through your head. Oh wait…”

Chara’s eyes narrow further.

Without another word, you pull out their soul and the battle begins.

Chara once again charges at you and you dodge in response.

The familiar pattern returns to you as you summon some black bullets to fly at your opponent.

Chara manages to dodge all of them and sends an attack right back at you.

As you continue the battle, you hear the buzz of magic hum in your ears.

You can’t help but try to pinpoint the melodies. Most of them you recognize, bits and pieces of songs you’ve heard while traversing the Underground. Notes and melodies combined together to make a unique song, but still recognizable.

Except...one..

Underneath everything is a string of notes you’ve never heard before.

These notes repeat constantly in the background and seem to tie all the cords together.

You don’t recognize it though and you can’t help but wonder where it came from?

However, you can never dwell on it for long.

Chara makes sure to keep you on your toes.

You refocus on Chara as they rush at you, the broken scissors drawn back and ready to swing.

As they near, you duck under the earth.

The cold slams harshly into your center, with more force than it had any time before.

It catches you off guard and you can’t help but flinch. It takes a moment, but you manage to shake it off before speeding through the ground and under Chara’s feet.

You reemerge once again with the bridge now behind you.

An intense chill rockets up your stem when you pop up and you have to fight off the shiver that tries to force it’s way out.

You don’t want to show any weakness in front of Chara.

But damn, it’s cold!

_Jeeze and freakin’- !!_

The severe chill quickly fades and you hastily refocus on the task at hand. You form a few explosive bullets in your mouth as you carefully aim at Chara, but your mind is still trying to figure out why that happened.

_What the hell was that?! It’s never been that cold before!_

The red heart glows brightly in front of the figure before you, seeming more pronounced than it has been before.

It only takes a second for you to realize why.

Chara has never lasted this long before, have they?

Which also means that this is the latest you’ve been outside in Snowdin before.

You take a quick glance to survey your surroundings.

If it wasn’t for the red glow of Chara’s soul, you wouldn’t be able to see much at all.

The glow illuminates the area just enough to see Chara and anything within a seven-foot radius around it. The rest of the cavern around you would be completely black if not for the faint colorful glow coming from somewhere behind you.

You don’t want to take your eyes off Chara for a second, so you can only guess that the glow is coming from the decorative lights of Snowdin.

But you have a feeling that this is probably as dark as the night gets around here.

And that the temperature is only going to continue to drop.

You are not looking forward to the next time you have to dive underground.

For now though, you try to push all thoughts of the cold aside and force yourself to concentrate on keeping this battle going.

Taking careful aim at Chara once more, you fire.

The bullets whiz through the air before they explode into dozens of little fragments.

You watch as Chara ducks and maneuvers around them. However, regardless of their efforts, a few manage to graze them.

They stumble but remain standing.

Chara glares at you and you can almost see the frustration burning inside of them.

Putting on a cocky smile, you taunt them.

“What’s a matter C-chara?” You internally cringe as you stutter, but keep going regardless.

“Can’t avoid a few e-exploding bullets?”

The smile on your face widens wickedly, but inside you are scolding yourself.

The cold is starting to affect your speech again and you hate it.

But you can’t help it.

Even as you continue to move your roots about, the cold is still seeping into you. Your roots are starting to feel stiff and a painful prickling sensation is starting to form in some of your smaller ones.

_Well...this is just great. What am I supposed to-_

You shake those thoughts aside.

It didn’t matter.

You need to focus on Chara.

Turning your attention to them fully, you wait for them to make their move.

Chara is staring at you intently and you can practically see the gears in their head turning.

After a moment, their expression sets.

They appear to have made their decision.

You wait for them to charge at you.

Or maybe heal?

They did take a lot of damage during the last couple of attacks, so it’s a possibility.

You continue to watch Chara closely as you wait for something to happen.

The cold steadily begins to close in on you. Everything is getting increasingly harder and harder to move. You can feel a thick layer of frost forming over your leaves and petals.

And still, you wait.

And you wait.

And wait.

With it not being in use, the magic coursing through you is settling. The music you hear pounding in your ears is starting to fade as you continue to idle there.

…

Chara still hasn’t done anything.

You frown.

The sensation of the magic tingling through your body is starting to be overtaken by a painful prickling that’s creeping up from your roots. You keep them moving, but even as you do so you can feel them starting to stick to the ice particles around them.

_What is taking them so long?_

You decide to try to provoke Chara a little.

“Hey, y-you going to move or what?!” You shout, once again internally scolding yourself for your stutter.

You watch as Chara’s eyes narrow, but otherwise they don’t make a move.

_Damn. What are they planning?_

The uncomfortable prickling sensation continues traveling from your roots up through your stem. You try to suppress a shiver...but fail. In fact, once you start shivering you just can’t stop.

Your teeth clatter but you try to hide it by keeping your mouth firmly shut.

Though after another moment, when nothing happens, you can’t help but shout at them in frustration. “C-come on! D-don’t just sit there! D-do s-something!”

By now, you are more concerned with why Chara isn’t moving verses you're current speech problem.

You know you can't keep in one place too much longer, but what do you do about it?

_What is taking them so long?!_

You can’t help but consider taking their turn for them, but quickly dash that thought aside.

Right now, you have a pattern with them. If you break that pattern, this battle could be over in a blink of an eye. All Chara would have to do is wait until you duck underground and pop up. You have to take a few seconds to form the bullets, but that would give them an opportunity to attack again.

No, breaking the pattern is a can of worms you don’t want to open.

Instead, as you listen to your leaves and stem crackle with each little movement, you simply explain to them.

“Y-you k-know you're j-just wasting time, r-right?”

Chara doesn’t respond, they just continue to remain unmoving.

You want to wrap your leaves around your body, but with the frost starting to bite into them...you don’t think you should move them any more than you have to.

After a moment, you decide to add. “N-not t-that I care.” You look away from Chara for just a moment before you come up with an idea. “A-actually,” You say as your gaze focuses on the human before you “ t-take y-your t-time! T-take all t-the time y-you w-want! S-see I-if I care!”

You continue to shiver as you attempt to fight off the cold.

But you feel like you're fighting a losing battle.

Although...

You're also fighting Chara.

That’s two losing battles at once.

Huh...

Isn't that a coincidence?

As you flex your roots, a sharp pain shoots up your stem. You wince and pause in your movements for a moment. You wiggle your roots again but the pain returns. Some of the smaller roots are resisting you. Moving them more cautiously, you notice that they seem to be completely stuck to the ground around them. Honestly, if they hadn’t already gone completely numb it would probably hurt a lot more.

What do you do now? You can’t just pull your remaining roots in! You would be pulling yourself out of the ground! Then how the heck are you going to dodge Chara if they decide to attack you?

For some reason, you're starting to feel desperate.

Which is weird, cause you really haven’t felt anything like that for a while now.

_What do I do now? It’s Chara’s turn, but they aren’t doing anything with it. They aren’t attacking, they aren’t healing, they aren’t even sparing. They’re just...sitting there!_

The numbness is starting to consume some of your other, larger roots. You try to keep them moving, but as they begin to hold fast to the icy ground you find it more and more difficult to get them unstuck.

Your leaves and petals are starting to hurt and you know that it has to be frostbite setting in.

You’re sure of it now.

If you don’t do something soon…

“S-s-seriously.” You yell at Chara in frustration. “W-what a-are you w-w-waiting f-?!”

Then, it finally occurs to you and you stop in your movements.

Your eyes widen in shock and realization.

“O-oh…” The word is weak as it escapes your lips.

In the back of your mind, you take note of the fact that snowflakes are beginning to fall in front of you. But right now, you had too much on your mind to really pay attention to it.

As if to test to test your theory, you lower your gaze to the ground before you as you try to wiggle your roots once more.

But..

Nothing happens.

Despite everything being mostly numb from the base of your stem downward, you can feel your roots trying to respond.

But they can’t.

Everything underground has frozen itself in place.

Something in your core constricts and you finally understand now.

You're stuck.

Really...really stuck.

And Chara knew it.

They had planned it.

All they had to do was wait, then it was only a matter of time.

The feeling in your core tightens as you look up into the face of Chara.

They don’t smile, but they continue to watch you intently.

You can tell by their expression.

They know they've won.

_H-how did they know? How did they know I would get stuck like this? Did they just guess? Did I do something to give it away?_

Well…either way.

This wasn’t exactly how you planned for this to go.

But…

You did say before that this cold was going to be the death of you.

Guess you were right, huh?

After a moment, Chara begins to slowly move towards you.

Your eyes widen as the unpleasant feeling in your core grips on you tighter.

For once in a long time, you were finally feeling something.

Why it decided to show up now? You have no idea.

But as Chara’s pace begins to quicken, the snow whipping around them as they speed towards you, you start to feel something erupt within you.

Looking down at your roots, you frantically try to wiggle them free.

But it doesn’t work.

You try to pull yourself underground, but the fibers in your stem refuse to move.

They are too stiff and rigid to condense yourself like that.

You frantically look about for an answer, but you can’t seem to find one.

Your eyes shoot up to the quickly approaching human. The half of the scissors gripped tightly in their hand as they draw it back.

Chara is almost right on top of you now.

The unpleasant feeling leaps into your throat.

This is it for you.

You knew that it would come.

But now that it’s here…

As Chara brings the blade down on you, you shrink down and squeeze your eyes shut.

You are afraid.

A loud crack erupts from above you.

You shrink down more at the sound, your stem cracking and resisting as you do so.

But after a moment, nothing happens.

No pain.

No death.

Nothing.

Confused, you open your eyes and look up.

Chara is stumbling backwards, clutching their now empty hand.

Their weapon is gone.

Now you’re even more confused.

_What...what just-_

Your thought is interrupted by something shifting beside you.

Curiously, you turn to it.

Next to you is a foot.

One that you knew all too well.

You feel your core leap into your throat once more.

_W-what-?!_

Ignoring your protesting stem, you quickly spin around and crane your neck upwards.

Your eyes fall on a person standing above you in a defensive manner.

The stick in their hands tightens as they continue to glare at their target before them.

A look of determination etched in their features.

“F-Frisk!?” You shout in surprise, but they are too focused on the task at hand to respond to you.

_What’s the kid doing here?! Where did they even come from?! They were supposed to be at the skeletons' house!  Were they hiding in the shadows this whole time?!_

Hearing something rustle nearby, you spin back around to Chara who looks like they had recovered.

The first thing you notice is that the half of the scissors is nowhere to be seen. It takes only a second for you to put the pieces of that puzzle together.

That’s what the loud crack was.

Frisk had knocked the weapon out of Chara’s hand.

Chara stares at Frisk for a moment, almost looking surprised to see them here. But it’s quickly replaced by a scowl as they advance forward.

You notice Frisk flinch a bit, but they stand firm.

Chara makes grabs for the stick but Frisk swings it at them. You reflexively duck as the stick whizzes right above your head. You can tell that, despite not knowing who this person is, the kid doesn’t really want to harm them. They are just trying to warn them off for you.

Frisk swings again but Chara catches the stick.

They struggle with it, but Chara is much stronger than the small child. They push the kid backward and manage to ripe the stick out of their hands. Frisk stumbles and falls onto the narrow bridge.

Chara throws the stick off to somewhere unknown. You turn back to Frisk, your stem straining as you do so.

You watch as Frisk scurries to get to their feet. They look nervous and afraid, but once standing they still remain firmly in place.

You grit your teeth in frustration.

As much as you had been afraid to die, Frisk showing up is by far one of the worse things that could happen right now.

Frisk can’t fight.

They can’t load a save.

And if Chara get’s their hands on them, then the kid was as good as dead!

_Dammit! This isn’t how this was supposed to go!_

You hear the snow crunching behind you and you quickly turn around.

Chara, seeming no longer concerned with you, is advancing forward.

They step over you like you aren’t even there.

You quickly look back at Frisk, who's making worrying glances your way.

_No..no no no this isn't supposed to-_

As you frantically glance between Chara's nearby foot and Frisk, you feel a spark of something ignite inside you.

You know you have to do something.

Because somewhere inside, you can feel it.

**_"there’s a glimmer of a good person inside of you."_ **

Something you haven't felt in a long...long time.

**_"the memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing.”_ **

You don't just feel like you need to help them...

No...

For the first time in a long while...

You actually  _want_ to.

As the foot nearest you begins to rise, you lunge for it.

Under much resistance from your frozen body, you wrap yourself around their ankle.

Every part of your body seems to hate the sudden movement, your stem and leaves crackling painfully as you do so.

But you don’t let go, you just close your eyes tight and brace yourself for the worse part.

Chara’s foot abruptly stops.

Your stem pulls tight and your body erupts in pain.

Gritting your teeth, you try to suppress the small cry that threatens to leak out.

_OW!OW!OW!OW!OW!_

Your body strains painfully under the pressure, but you refuse to budge.

Chara falls forward, causing your stem to bend unwillingly.

But, even as your eyes water, you continue to hold on.

You don’t open your eyes and you don’t let go.

Soon, you are met with a blast of cold on your face as you and Chara hit the snow-covered ground.

You manage to crack open an eye to see exactly what had happened.

Chara seems to still be partially kneeling, almost in a sprinter’s pose.

Your stem is still pulled tight but no more tension is put on it.

Still, your body is hating every moment of this. The fibers of your stem are too cold to be this flexible willingly, and you’re pretty sure that the base of your stem has a permanent kink in it now. Some of your fibers might’ve even snapped under the tension.

But you refuse to budge.

You are not letting go until you know Frisk is safe.

And you don’t have to look up to know that Frisk hasn’t even bothered to move yet.

In desperation, you shout at them. “R-run you stupid k-Ah!”

A shooting pain suddenly rockets up your stem as Chara gives their restrained leg a swift tug.

You can feel the fibers in your stem straining.

They’re brittle and weak, they could easily break if enough force is applied.

Still, you hold tight and Chara yanks their leg again and again.

You don’t know how much more of it you can actually take. You can feel Chara grow more and more frustrated as they try to free themselves from your grasp.

Honestly, you have no idea how you are still hanging on.

It feels like your being pulled to your breaking point, and every pull from Chara sends a wave of pain that you have to grit your teeth to endure.

In the back of your mind, you really hope that this will end soon.

For a moment, Chara stops their pulling. Instead, you can hear as they shuffle around their pockets for something.

What exactly, you had no idea.

_Please just tell me Frisk isn’t still standing there?! If they are- I swear I’m gonna-_

“HUMAN?“

Your eyes fly open in surprise and your core plummets.

That voice.

You know exactly who that voice belongs to. 

_Papyrus?!?_

_No…_

_No no nonononono!! What is he doing here!?! He's supposed to be warning the others!! He wasn't supposed to come back!_

Closing your eyes, you shout at him desperately. “You idiot! I told you to-“

Something cold and sharp presses to the base of your stem, causing your eyes to go wide in fear.

_Oh..._

That’s what they were looking for.

The scissors…

They lost one half..

But they still had the other…

_Oh no.._

With a quick flick of Chara’s hand, you feel the blade slice into you.

Your mouth is wide in a silent scream as pain rips through your tiny body.

Spots of light blind your vision, forming recognizable shapes but you're eyes are too unfocused to make them out.

Your body suddenly feels weightless, like you are falling through the air.

Then, everything feels cold.

Your vision begins fades.

And you are swallowed by the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	42. Yours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is written a bit differently than my other chapters, and may be confusing to some.
> 
> But there's a reason for it.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 

Running.

  
  
  
  
  


You are running.

  


The snow crunches under your feet.

 

The path before you, illuminated by the warm glow from buildings nearby.

 

You know they are not far behind you.

 

You need to get away.

 

There is something not right here, but you don’t know exactly what.

You feel like you should remember something, but….

 

You don’t.

The memories of before aren’t coming back to you.

You can’t remember.

 

But you know what you feel…

And the sight of them sends a chill crawling down your back.

 

You continue to run down the empty street, passing the wooden structures without a second glance at them.

One arm clutching them tightly to your chest and the other pulling him along behind you.

You cannot drop them.

And you cannot let him go.

You need to get them somewhere safe.

But you don’t know where 'safe' is.

 

You can almost feel the other following you.

 

The look in their eyes.

 

They won’t stop until they’ve finished what they started.

 

You don’t know what to do.

 

You hear him asking questions as you drag him along.

He is confused.

But you cannot stop to explain.

You must keep running.

To somewhere safe.

Where is somewhere safe, though?

You just don-

**_A cabin like house littered with little decorative lights._ **

**_A black flag perched on its roof._ **

 

The house.

 

Of course.

 

You need to get them back there and lock the door.

They should be safe there.

 

You continue to run.

 

Pass the brightly lit tree.

 

Pass the smell of greasy burger and fries.

 

Almost to the crossroa-

Something in your grip tugs you to an abrupt stop.

You nearly lose your balance as it forces you to spin around in your spot.

You face your friend.

 

Your grip on his bony wrist loosens.

He is looking confused and distraught.

 

He had stopped you.

 

You give him a confused look.

He looks down at you.

 

No…

 

Not at you.

 

He’s looking at what you are cradling in your arm.

 

“I...I DON’T…IT...IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT...RIGHT? OR...OR A MISUNDERSTANDING.”

He seems to be having trouble accepting the truth.

He just doesn’t want to believe that someone would deliberately hurt others.

 

**_The slice of a knife._ **

**_The body disperse._ **

**_A cloud of dust settles._ **

 

But you know what kind of person this is.

 

Somehow, you know what they’ve done.

 

You know they will not stop.

 

And neither should you.

Tightening your grip on his wrist, you turn and you-

  
  


A hooded figure blocks your path.

 

The bright red soul from earlier nowhere to be seen.

 

**_“I am Chara.”_ **

 

Chara…

 

You know that name….

 

But you don’t know why…

 

How...

 

You are confused…

 

How did they get in front of you?

It doesn't-

**_A small structure, made of blocks of ice._ **

**_A figure enters…_ **

**_The scene shifts…_ **

**_They exit in a different location._ **

 

That’s right.

 

You had passed the 1st entrance of the underground path.

 

The other must’ve taken it.

 

Now…

They block the path before you.

 

Your hand tightens on the bony arm as you wearily take a step back.

Chara takes a step forward.

You pull the object in your arm tighter to your body.

What do you do?

 

They take another step.

 

You shake, but not from the cold.

There is a sickening feeling in your stomach.

 

You try to think of a way out of this.

But…

The memories refuse to surface.

They refuse to give you any clue on how to proceed.

They must not know what to-

 

Something is touching your hand.

You turn and watch as he steps beside you.

 

His hand is covering your own.

He bends down and gives you a confident smile.

Or...well...something you think is supposed to be confident.

In a quiet voice, he tells you not to worry...that he knows what to do.

But…

You have to give him his arm back first.

 

You gasp as the sickening sensation lurches.

You shake your head vigorously.

No.

You can’t let him do this.

He doesn't understand.

**_The frogit blushes at the compliment._ **

He doesn’t know-

**_The weapon slashes across the froggit's shocked expression._ **

**_The monster didn’t even have time to guard itself._ **

**_Instantly, it turns to dust._ **

 

He doesn’t know what you know.

 

In a quiet voice, he whispers to you.

Telling you to trust him.

 

**_“EVERYONE CAN BE A GREAT PERSON IF THEY TRY!”_ **

 

A lump forms in your throat. Under normal circumstances, you would believe in him but this…

 

**_One hit._ **

**_A surprised expression._ **

**_The skull falls from its body._ **

 

You give him a pleading look.

 

But he just smiles and stands.

 

He gently wrenches your hand off his wrist.

 

Try as you might, you just can’t hang on to it.

He quickly steps around you and begins to walk forward.

 

You reach for him, but you miss.

Bringing your hand to your chest, you stand there...unable to move.

 

**_"I know Flowey has done a terrible thing. But I think that if I can just talk to him. I can make him see that what he did was wrong.”_ **

 

You don’t know what to do.

 

You want to stop him….

 

But you don’t know how…

 

You don’t even know if you can.

 

**_“YOU ARE A GOOD PERSON, EVEN IF YOU DON’T THINK SO.”_ **

 

He always sees the good in people...he always believes they are good...

How do you convince someone like that to listen?

 

You don’t know what to do…

All you can do is stand there and watch.

 

He stops a few feet away and holds his arms out to the sides.

 

“H-HUMAN…”

 

Between his skinny legs, you can see Chara clearly.

They don’t move or respond in any way.

 

“YOU...YOU DON’T NEED TO FEAR US.”

 

“I-I...I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

 

Chara still hasn’t moved.

What do you do?

You can’t let Papyrus do this.

 

But you don’t know how to stop him.

The memories aren’t being helpful at all.

They aren’t showing you what you should do.

 

“WE ARE NOT HERE TO HURT YOU. I’M SURE MY FRIEND DIDN'T MEAN TO SCARE YOU.”

 

Yet your soul….

It hurts…

It wants to help.

And it’s desperate to stop him.

 

“THEY WERE...PROBABLY JUST...GIVING YOUR FOOT A HUG!”

 

But you can’t.

 

You don’t know what to do.

 

**_Yellow fills your vision._ **

**_Screams of agony echoing around the cavern walls._ **

Your vision becomes blurry.

 

“B-BUT THEY ARE HURT. WE NEED TO GET THEM HELP. PLEASE, CAN YOU JUST...LET US THROUGH?”

 

**_Behind the door, you hear someone talking._ **

**_Then you hear a slash._ **

**_You know it’s all over._ **

You close your eyes, the tears beading into the corners of them.

 

“PLEASE?”

 

You don’t want to lose him too.

You just can’t think of anything to-

 

“Y-YOU ARE APPROACHING?”

 

Your heart wrenches as your breath catches in your throat.

Your eyes fly open.

 

Chara is moving forward slowly.

 

“ARE YOU OFFERING A HUG OF ACCEPTANCE?”

 

Their pace quickens.

 

Something in you finally breaks free.

You charge forward, reaching out with your spare hand as you do so.

 

The hand closes around something soft.

A red cape that swishes in the breeze.

You pull on it as you hear a slash.

  
  
  
  


 

 

The cape gives way…

 

 

 

 

 

There is nothing attached to it…

 

You fall to the snow-covered ground…

  
  
  
  
  
  


You look up…

 

Only the dark figure remains.

Not even a skull is left behind….

 

Your chest tightens...

  


 

 

 

 

He’s gone…

 

Chara’s eyes narrow at you.

And you remember that you are still in danger.

 

You remember that you still have a friend who needs you.

Quickly, you scramble to your feet.

 

Still clutching the red fabric in your hands, you turn and run.

 

Running.

 

You keep running.

 

There's something wet streaking down your cheeks, but you pay it no mind.

You need to think of something to do.

 

You pass the Christmas tree once more.

 

**_Nestled close to a brightly lit building._ **

**_A small igloo sits._ **

 

That’s it.

 

You know what to do.

 

You hear the crunch of footsteps behind you.

They are following you.

 

Good.

 

You don’t look back.

You just keep going until you see it.

 

The icy building sparkles in the glow of the warm lights.

 

Taking the red fabric, you hastily cover your friend with it.

 

It’s probably cold in there.

 

You quickly run towards the building.

 

Behind you, you can hear Chara’s footsteps beginning to slow.

Their body is getting tired.

 

Still, you don’t slow down.

You dive for the opening.

Sliding along the ground, you close your eyes.

 

You feel yourself lurch forward.

After a moment, it all stops.

 

You open them.

You’re face first in the ground.

 

When you look up, you see it.

Besides you is the brother’s house.

 

You scramble to get to your feet.

 

You rush for the door.

 

Jumping up the steps, you hastily open it and scurry inside.

 

You spin around.

 

Chara is rushing up the steps.

 

You slam the door.

And turn the lock.

Something slams into it.

 

You stumble backwards in surprise.

You watch as the door pounds again...and again.

 

Trembling, you clutch the objects tightly to your chest.

 

**_You go up to the cabin like house._ **

**_You try to open the door._ **

**_It’s locked._ **

 

They can’t get in….

 

Right?

 

Another slam and the wooden object gives slightly.

 

You take a hesitant step back.

Your heart is racing.

What do you do?

 

Another hit.

 

The door frame bends and cracks.

 

They are getting in.

You glance around for somewhere to hide.

But you know they will find you here.

There is nowhere else you can go.

 

There’s a loud slam as the door finally gives.

 

Chara stumbles forward but remains standing.

They look up with bright red eyes.

 

You shiver.

 

Your eyes begin to water.

What do you do? What do you do? What do you-

**_A smiling skull._ **

**_He offers you a hand._ **

**_His grin widening as he peers down at you._ **

 

Taking a deep breath, you call him.

You call for him to help you.

Chara rushes forward.

You hug your friend tightly as you squeeze your eyes shut.

Bracing yourself for the inevitable.

  
  
  


Something grabs you.

Startled, your eyes fly open.

  
  


You are not in the house anymore.

 

You can hear yourself breathing heavily as you quickly glance around.

 

The room is dark, but you can make out the light blue walls and white tiles.

 

This place seems...familiar…

 

**_The small figure passes behind the house._ **

**_You press a button._ **

**_The unseen door unlocks._ **

**_You enter a room._ **

**_It looks like a lab._ **

 

San’s lab.

 

That’s where you are.

 

But….

 

You are a bit confused how you got here.

 

Something releases its hold on you.

Finally, you realize that there’s someone behind you.

 

Turning slowly, you look up into their face.

He smiles down at you.

“close one, huh?”

 

He’s…

 

He’s here…

 

He had answered your call for help.

 

Right before…

 

**_Chara charges at you._ **

You feel your legs shake.

 

“hey, you ok pal?”

 

You don’t respond.

 

Sans puts his hands on your shoulders as he guides you to a corner of the room.

“c’mon, how about we just... _chill_ for a bit?”

 

He gives a gentle nudge, indicating for you to sit.

You slowly lower yourself to the floor.

It’s cold.

But it’s better than the snow.

 

Sans crouches in front of you.

“there, see? it’s…”

His sentence trails off.

 

You follow his gaze.

 

He’s looking at the bundle in your arms.

 

**_"get out of the underground and don't come back this time.”_ **

 

Your stomach lurches.

 

You know what he’ll do if he finds out that this is-

 

“hey, kiddo? where’s…”

Sans looks up at you, his smile falling slightly.

“where’s papyrus?”

 

Oh…

 

He’s just…

**_You pull on the cape._ **

**_But there is nothing attached to it._ **

 

You were too late.

You lower your gaze to the red cape.

 

Vision beginning to blur once more.

 

You don’t say a word…

 

You simply shake your head.

 

“shit.” The word is murmured under his breath, not meant for you to hear.

 

You feel your chest tighten.

 

“it...it was that thing, wasn’t it? that other human?”

 

You don’t look up, but you nod in response.

 

“i knew this was too-”

 

You stutter out a quiet apology.

You try to tell Sans what had happened…but you can barely get a few words out.

 

Something weighted falls on your shoulders.

 

You look up.

Sans gives you a grin, but it’s pained.

 

**_“you can’t understand how this feels…”_ **

 

You feel your heart wrench.

A feeling that you’re getting more and more accustomed to around him.

 

“hey, it’s….”

Sans stops and sighs.

Then, he pulls you into a hug.

“i know, kid...i know…”

You try not to crush your friend still wrapped in the scarf between you two, but with your free had you do your best to return the hug.

  
  


 

It makes you feel....

 

Better.

 

If only a little.

 

He pulls away.

 

You watch as he looks away for a moment, seeming unsure.

Then, he turns to you.

 

“you...you don’t have control anymore, do ya?”

 

You lower your eyes to the scarf once more.

 

You nod.

 

There’s a sigh.

“listen, we need to get ya out of here. i’ll get ya to the barrier, there we can get-”

 

You shake your head.

Your friends…

 

**_“i gave up going back a long time ago.”_ **

 

All of them…

 

You can’t just leave them like this.

 

“heh, it’s not really up for debate kiddo.”

 

You shake your head again.

He didn’t understand…

But if he knew...

 

**_The soul bounces around before you._ **

**_Again and again…_ **

**_Bones come at it left and right._ **

**_You try to swerve it out of the way._ **

**_The heart breaks…_ **

**_You need to try again._ **

 

You shake your head once more.

 

“why do you keep shaking your head? you got something s-”

You suddenly blurt out an apology.

Shrinking down, you shift the being in your arms.

 

You know you need to tell him.

 

“why are you apologizing? i told you, papyrus isn’t your f-”

  
  
  


You look up at Sans.

 

He’s staring suspiciously at Papyrus’ cape.

You look down at it.

 

There’s a glimpse of yellow poking out between the red fabric.

 

Your soul shutters.

 

“what…”

 

You don’t move.

You don’t breathe.

 

“what’s in there?”

 

You take a glance up at Sans.

 

His expression is hard to read.

 

But the bags under his eyes are more pronounced than ever.

 

**_“it makes it kind of hard to give it my all.”_ **

 

Steeling yourself, you carefully pull the red fabric back.

 

There...lies your friend.

 

They are unresponsive.

 

You wait for Sans to react.

To say something.

 

Nothing.

 

Still, you wait.

 

**_He hovers over you._ **

**_You are so small._ **

 

Then, he shifts.

 

**_He yells at you._ **

**_He demands answers from you._ **

 

You watch as Sans reaches for them.

 

**_A blue glow surrounds you._ **

**_You suddenly lurch upwards._ **

**_You are suddenly face to face with a very angry skeleton._ **

**_“g e t  o u t.”_ **

 

“They aren’t bad, Sans!” You desperately yell.

 

The skeleton pulls back, looking a bit startled.

 

Again you plea as tears sting your eyes. “They aren’t bad!”

**_“get out of the underground and don’t come back this time. cause if i ever see your petaly little face again…”_ **

You lower your head as you frantically begin murmuring as tears begin to fall. “They’re...they’re not bad...they’re not bad...they’re not-”

“hey hey, kid...kid.”

 

You sniff, your eyes raising to meet Sans gaze.

 

“listen, i’m not going to hurt them. ok?”

 

His smile widens slightly.

 

“trust me.”

 

You watch as Sans reaches for them.

 

You feel nervous, but you don’t stop him.

 

His hand hovers over their broken form.

A buzzing in the air makes you tense.

  
  
  


“1 hp left…”

 

Sans pulls his hand away.

 

You look up to him.

 

His expression is, strange.

 

“heh...guess the little weed is tougher than they look.”

 

**_“somewhere in there, i can feel it. there’s a glimmer of a good person inside of you. the memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing.”_ **

 

Your chest is tightening again.

 

**_“someone who, in another time, might have even been...a friend?”_ **

There’s a weight there that has refused to leave you.

Ever since you woke up in the ruins, it’s been there.

 

Most of the time it was manageable.

 

But...sometimes...

 

Your gaze lowers to the flower in your arms.

 

**_“c’mon, buddy.”_ **

 

“we’ll have to get them some help. i’m no good at healing...and i don’t think a bandaid is really going to fix this.”

 

Sometimes….

 

**_“do you remember me?”_ **

 

The feeling overwhelms you.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“I’m sorry...I’m so sorry…”

 

You cry.

 

You can’t stop crying.

 

“why do you keep-”

 

“I-I don’t know…”

 

You sniff.

 

You raise a hand to your eyes, wiping at them frantically.

 

“I don’t know why I keep saying it….but...I...I can’t-...everytime I see you...I just...I feel…”

 

 

 

“kid…”

 

You look up at Sans.

 

Your vision is watery, you can barely make out his features.

 

“hold….hold still for a sec.”

 

He shifts slightly.

  
  


“i promise, i won’t hurt you. i just want to see something quick.”

  


  
  
  
  


“heh...frisk…”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“this….this isn’t yours, is it?”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp...now...everyone hates me XD
> 
> (UPDATE (1/12): Sorry for not responding to anyone’s comments. I will be getting to those the next few days here. The next chapter is going to be posted on the 21st of this month. I’ve been rereading through everything and it’s taking a while. I’m also going out of town for a week so there’s that too.)


	43. No Longer You.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's late at night...but I got it done. Might have to look back and do some editing...but nothing major should change.
> 
> If it does, I'll let you know. But OMG I need to go to bed XD

  
  
  
  
  


_This is all my fault…._

  
  
  
  
  
  


_I’m so sorry…_

  
  


_I just-_

  
  
  
  
  
  


_-I didn’t want it to end yet._

  
  


_They were my-_

 

_I’m sorry._

_But I never wanted-_

_I hurt them._

_I don’t want to hurt-_

_-was my friend._

_I’m so sorry…_

_What have I-_

_I’m going to-_

_-just a game._

_I didn’t mean to-_

_My friends-_

_I’m sorry._

 

_-the right thing._

_I’m going to fix this..._

 

_Sans..._

 

_I’m going to do the right thing._

**_Please! Stop! Please!_ **

**_Stopstopstopstopstopstopstop-_ **

_But it doesn’t stop._

_It only intensifies as it seems to tug harder and harder._

_Your eyes clench shut, the bright light of the heart dancing across your eyelids._

_You can hold it back no longer._

_You finally push past the lump in your throat and unleash a painful scream._

_Like a wire pulled too tight, something finally gives._

_The pain in your chest is suddenly gone, along with the light around you._

_With the pain in your chest out of the way, you’re suddenly reminded of the pain throbbing in your skull._

_It’s then that you hear it…_

_A voice._

_It echoes in your head like haunted whispering._

**_“Please..”_ ** **_“Don’t do this-”_ **

**_“I never wanted-”_ ** **_“Please stop-”_ **

**_“I never wanted any of this-”_ **

**_“I still need to fix this-”_** **_“                   Please let go.”_**

**_“-need to do the right thing.”                  “They still need me..”_ **

**_“I hurt them-”_ **

**_“This isn’t supposed to happen-”_ **

**_“I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore-”_ **

 

**_“I never meant to-”_ **

**_“He’s waiting for me-”_ **

**_“-show him I’m still-”_ **

**_“Please….”_ **

 

**_“...don’t do this.”_ **

 

 

**_“Please….”_ **

 

 

 

**_“I just want to help…”_ **

 

The frantic voices echoing in your head finally slip away, the remnants of the dream along with it.

Leaving you alone in a vast world of darkness.

There is a numbness surrounding your body.

You sit there for a moment, unable to move.

All is quiet and then you hear it.

The sound of something dripping steadily echoes around you.

A constant low hum soon accompanies it.

The numbness slowly begins to dissipate, but still your thoughts are having trouble forming.

_What just…? I don’t-_

You begin to stir.

Your brow creases as you struggle to open your eyes. They feel unusually heavy and seem unwilling to cooperate with you.

After a few moments, they finally respond.

A nauseating swirl of dark blues and grays meet you, causing a sickening sensation to lurch in your stomach.

Your head throbs dully and you have to quickly shut your eyes.

Seems like your vision is too blurred and unfocused to see anything properly.

So, for now, you keep your eyes tightly shut.

You can feel that the numbness surrounding your body is almost completely gone now. The only thing left is a feeling of something tingling throughout every part of you.

Well...the parts that you can feel, anyways.

For some reason, the bottom half of you remains completely numb.

You can’t feel anything from the base of your stem downwards.

This should be alarming, but at the moment it just seems like a minor inconvenience to you.

As you begin to regain the feeling in the other parts of your body, you notice that you are leaning over something.

You can feel the blunt edge of something cool and smooth digging into your neck.

It’s a bit uncomfortable. You don’t really like it.

Using what strength you have, you attempt to straighten yourself.

As you lift your neck slightly, you feel your body shift lower. You stop in your movements as you feel ripples bounce around you.

It takes a second, but eventually you are able to gather your thoughts enough to realize why.

It seems that from the top of your leaves downwards, you are submerged in some sort of fluid.

Despite your thoughts still being scattered, you gain enough sense to not try straightening yourself again. You don’t really know how deep you’ll sink if you do.You need to grab the edge before you can risk doing that again, although you haven’t really tried moving your leaves yet.

Experimentally, you flex them.

They feel weak and tired but still seem to respond accordingly.

Lifting them is a bit of a struggle, but it doesn’t take long for them to find the hard surface your neck is resting on. Your leaves grip the blunt edge, and you fight to pull yourself up. As you throw your leaves over the side of what you can only assume is some kind of glass container, you attempt to open your eyes once more.

The world around you swirls in and out of focus as you struggle to keep your eyes open.

You feel sick and your brain hurts, but you need to know where you are.

With the world around you spinning, you are only able to see that you are indeed in some sort of container. Some white designs that you can’t make out decorate the glass surface, but you have to close your eyes before you can see any more details.

You squeeze your eyes shut as you try to will the nausea away.

The pain in your head soon disappears. And, after a few deep breaths, your stomach settles.

With one last deep breath, you lift your weary head and cautiously open your eyes.

The world is no longer spinning, but it’s still unfocused.

Well, at least you don’t feel like throwing up anymore. Your head still hurts but as you blink, your eyes finally begin to focus and the pain dissipates.

With your brain no longer feeling like it’s going to explode, you can finally survey the area around you.

The room around you is dim, only bright enough to comfortably see where you are. A single dull lamp hums with electricity above you, it’s light reflecting off the metal surface below.

The walls might be a light blue color if all the lights were on, but in the dim light they just appear a dark teal. As you straighten yourself further and peer over the metal table, you see tiles lining the floor as well.

You notice a dark doorway on one side of the room and a weird looking power box attached to the other.

In front of your table is nothing but a blank wall and a small piece of paper sitting in the corner.

As you continue to look over the small room before you, you can’t help but think that it seems familiar.

It takes a few moments, but then your thoughts finally pull together to come to a conclusion.

This is Alphy’s lab.

Her _true_ lab.

But…

How?

_How did I get here?_

You try to remember, but your head begins to throb once more.

You close your eyes as you begin to lift a leaf so you can press the tip between your eyes.

But as the leaf bends, you stop.

You can’t help but think that something about it feels...different.

As you open your eyes, you hold the leaf out inspect it.

Your brow creases as you stare down at the foliage before you.

Instead of being smooth and pointed, the leaf appears wavy, like a triangular piece of green lasagna. The edges are worn and wilted. Brown splotches now decorate its surface and the very tip of it appears to be missing altogether.

You feel your eyes narrow.

You are confused, to say the least.

_What the-?? How did they get like-_

**_The cold steadily begins to close in on you. Everything is getting increasingly harder and harder to move. You can feel a thick layer of frost forming over your leaves and petals._ **

….

_Oh…_

You remember something.

**_“Hey, y-you going to move or what?!” You shout, once again internally scolding yourself for your stutter._ **

**_You watch as Chara’s eyes narrow, but otherwise they don’t make a move._ **

You lower your leaf as you stare blankly at the table below you.

That’s right.

You were out in the cold, trying to stall Chara.

Then, Frisk and Papyrus showed up.

And then…

**_Something cold and sharp presses to the base of your stem...._ **

Something in your head finally clicks.

Because despite the numbing feeling being completely gone in most of your body…

You still can’t feel your roots.

Curious, you bend over the edge of the glass and peer through it.

….

_Oh..._

The fluid in your container seems to have a slight green tinge to it but otherwise appears crystal clear. Making it easy to see your long green stem through the glass wall.

But that’s it.

Your stem just abruptly stops.

There is nothing else.

Your roots...they’re just…

Gone.

You stare at it for a moment longer, taking extra time to fully process this new turn of events.

Then, you pull yourself back up.  

Sitting there, gaze unfocused, you merely think to yourself.

_Well...that’s a problem._

You let out an irritated huff as your gaze shifts to the floor below.

It’s weird.

You should feel more alarmed by this new turn of events. Or at least relieved that you’re still alive.

But you don’t.

You don’t feel anything but annoyance.

Your mind wanders back to before. When you stopped Chara from attacking Frisk.

You had felt something then, didn’t you?

Not simply a need to save Frisk, but a desire to.

You wanted to help them.

You felt it...

It was so quick, you hadn’t really paid much attention to it. That and the immediate pain following kinda distracted you from it.

But you remember it.

Though now, even as you close your eyes and try to search for any sign of that feeling from before, you don’t feel anything of the sort.

The only thing you feel is annoyance.

Even your determination is not nearly as potent as it was before.

But it’s still there, isn’t it?

That’s a curious thought.

Even after all this…

You still have a desire to help…

A desire to do the right thing.

_It’s just-_

Something cool splashes against you, snapping you out of your thoughts.

_What the-??_

Startled, you open your eyes and twist your body around.

Your eyes fall on a small plastic tube behind you, a bright green substance is beading at its opening before dropping into the water below.

Causing a small splash of water to once again hit your stem.

_Oh._

That’s what the dripping sound is.

You follow the tube upwards and see a bag of the same green fluid hovering above you, suspended by a hook. As you stare at the green substance in the bag, you notice that there is a very soft, almost unnoticeable glow to it.

The color reminds you of when Toriel healed you, though this appears much dimmer in comparison.

So, that explains the weird feeling through your body. It must be some kind of healing magic.

Which would explain why you aren’t in any pain, even after your roots had been cut from your body.

You hear the sound of another drip and you lower your gaze. The hose is attached to the inside of your container by a piece of tape, keeping it in place.

It’s then you decide to inspect your confines more thoroughly.

The cylindrical container is wide enough for you and the tube to fit comfortably within its walls. But small enough so your petals would catch the opening if you slipped. There is a lip in the glass that forms a spout.

You think that you might be in some kind of lab beaker.

Which would explain the white dashes and numbers on the outside wall. Looking over the side once more, you can see the container is deep enough so you won't touch the bottom easily, but not ridiculously so.

Maybe a couple of inches at most.

_I’d be able to touch if I had my roots._

_"Tsk!"_ the noise slips through your teeth as you straighten yourself.

That's right, you still have that problem to deal with.

Without your roots, you can’t really move around well.

You can roll...and maybe try to slither like a snake.

But you wouldn’t be able to get very far.

_This is so stupid._

You still have the determination to try to help but...

How can you help anyone like this?

Hell, you don't know if there is anyone left _to_ help.

How long have you've been out?

You have no idea.

It could have been days since you went unconscious and Chara might be long gone.

Despite this though, you still feel the determination subtly pulsing away inside you. 

It's stupid.

You are useless now.

Honestly, how are you supposed to help anyone when you can’t even get around by yourself anymore?

…

On that note, how on earth did you get even get here?

This is in Hotland.

You lift a leaf to your chin in thought.

_Last thing I remember is the knife slicing through me before I completely blac-_

 

**_Running._ **

 

**_You are running._ **

 

Your gaze hardens as something pushes to the forefront of your mind.

_Wait…_

No.

That’s not the last thing you remember, is it?

But...

That doesn’t make sense.

That couldn’t have been real.

It must’ve been a dream.

As you think back, you can recall everything...but it’s impossible.

You remember.

You were running through Snowdin, but you weren’t yourself.

You were Frisk.

You were running away from Chara with Papyrus.

Then, Papyrus stepped in front of you and..

**_The cape gives way…_ **

 

**_There is nothing attached to it…_ **

**_You fall to the snow-covered ground…_ **

 

**_You look up…_ **

**_Only the dark figure remains._ **

 

**_Not even a skull is left behind…._ **

 

Papyrus was completely destroyed by Chara.

You scowl.

_Great, all that work and I wasn’t even able to save him._

Immediately, you shake your head.

What are you thinking? That didn’t _really_ happen.

_It...it couldn’t have._

Why would you be remembering something that happened to Frisk?

It didn’t make sense.

**_“listen, i’m not going to hurt them. ok?”_ **

 

**_His smile widens slightly._ **

 

**_“trust me.”_ **

You scoff as you fold your leaves on top of the smooth glass edge.

_No...that definitely had to be a dream._

So, now that you've settled that...

How did you end up here?

You try to remember anything else but…

The only other things you can recall are memories that you can’t make much sense of.

You remember some weird whispering, but that's hardly useful. 

Half of it didn't make any sense.

Then, you remember there was a part of your all too familiar vision.

Except…

This time, you could hear it….couldn’t you?

The voice.

Sure, the words turned out to be nonsense you but you could actually hear them this time.

The voice had whispered to you, echoing around you after your soul had been ripped out of your body.

…Or well...

Your _old_ body...

You stare ahead thoughtfully, the drops continuing to echo around the room as you quietly remind yourself.

_That's right...I’m not the same person anymore._

Now that the excitement has died down, you finally remember this bit of information. 

Guess you had pushed this thought to the back of your mind until now. You didn't try to, you just had other things to deal with at the time.

Like a murdering psycho ghost child possessing your body.

But now in the silence, it had pushed itself to the forefront of your mind.

You take a deep breath and let it out.

It's hard for you, not emotionally. That would be impossible.

No, it's just....hard for you define.

To comprehend where the person you use to be ends and you begin.

It's true, you had been apart of this person at one point in time. To deny this would be denying your origins.

Their memories still influence your thoughts and behavior. Their determination drives you forward and gives you the will to live.

You had been apart of this person as they made their decisions.

Their mistakes are you're own.

They had been you, and you had been them.

But you have to remember…

You aren't this person anymore.

You can’t be them because they no longer exist.

Everything that made them who they were has been broken and torn apart. 

Their body has been stolen.

Their soul, lost.

And their mind forced into the body of a flower that has, more than likely, gone completely insane.

You are the last remaining piece of them...and look at you.

You’re a complete mess.

Closing your eyes, you sigh as you rest your chin atop your folded leaves.

_There really is nothing left of me, is there?_

This thought bugs you, but not as much as it should.

_This is so-_

A few soft footsteps interrupt your thoughts.

You open your eyes, lifting your head to listen to them.

They patter softly against the tile floor before coming to a halt near the doorway.

You are a bit surprised and curious, though you don’t turn to see who it is.

You don’t need to.

After all, those lazy strides could only belong to one person.

_What is he doing here?_

It takes only a moment before you remember.

Right, you never did tell him what he wanted to know.

_He’s here for answers. Maybe even to get rid of me too...But, how did he know I was here?_

You don’t really have time to dwell on this as you hear him take a few steps into the room.

You stare at the table below you, contemplating on what you should do.

But…

It's not like you can really do anything.

So...

Guess it doesn't really matter, huh?

You know that Sans wants information from you. But the problem is, you don’t really have any. Not the kind he’s looking for, anyway.

All he wants to know is what happened to the timeline and the only thing you know is that Chara somehow fixed it.

Fixed it and took control.

You don’t know how, just that they did.

They took control and tore you apart until you ceased to exist.

Then, proceeded to destroy everything you had been so determined to save.

Now, here you sit.

It's weird, cause as you look back on everything that you've done to get here...it all just makes so much sense to you now.

Why you couldn't leave the game alone.

Why you had reset the game when you did.

Why you went back.

Before you couldn't understand but now...

Now that you're able to comprehend the reason behind your determination, you finally do.

And it's funny.

Cause as you look at these things from a brand new perspective.

Somehow...

It still just seems so-

“-stupid…”

The word is out of your mouth before you can stop it, but once it's out...you find it hard to stop.

“All of this…It's just so stupid. And it's all because of me. Because I just couldn’t leave things well enough alone.”

You let you a joyless laugh as you look up at the ceiling, trying to imagine what the Underground must look like now.

“And now look where that got us? I’m a soulless little weed and the Underground is in shambles.”

The skeleton behind you doesn’t respond, and you think you’ve chatted away long enough.

You unfold your leaves and grip the edge of the beaker.

“But you’re not here to listen to my rambling, are you?” Finally, you turn yourself to look up at him out of the corner of your eye. The skeleton stands a few feet away from your table, his expression harder to read than ever. In the back of your mind, you can’t help but think how long it’s been since you’ve last seen him? It’s been days, yet he still looked mostly the same. From the dark circles under his eyes to the hands shoved in his pockets.

Peering up at him, you respond to your own question. “No, you are here for answers.”

Shrugging casually, you tell him. “Well, I’m afraid I don’t know much. So, I can’t guarantee you’ll get any."

You turn your body to face him fully, shifting in your glass as you do so.

“But fine, what do you want to know?” You ask.

The skeletons eyes seem to pierce through you, but you don’t think anything of it.

You already know hates you. He made that perfectly clear the last encounter you had with him.

He never liked you, and after everything you've told him you’re surprised he hasn’t given you a bad time yet.

_Well, that’s probably coming._

After a moment, the skeleton replies.

“everything.”

You can’t help but frown at his moronic request.

_Seriously?! What the hell is that suppose to even mean?!_

You decide it best not to voice this and simply tell him. “I’m afraid you’ll have to be a bit more... _specific_.”

The skeleton looks away for a moment, seeming to contemplate something.

Your frown deepens as you wait impatiently for him to continue. Really, you shouldn't have to tell him anything.

But...you're still determined to help. 

And if you can give him any information to do so, then you were going to.

After a moment, he turns back to you again. "i want to know everything…” He pauses for a moment, almost hesitant.

Then he sighs and in a low voice, he adds. “...about you.”

You blink, not really sure you understand.

Sans continues.

“i want to know what you are. how you got here. how you’ve been controlling frisk. what your connection to this..all of this is.”

Your brow furrows in confusion, but Sans doesn’t seem to notice. He just begins to stroll closer. 

“i want to know why you kept resetting." His face darkens a bit as he advances. "why you kept killing.”

Sans stops only when he reaches the edge of the table.

You peer up at him as he towers over you. For a second his expression changes into something strange, but you’re not really sure what it is. Then, his eyes narrow suspiciously at you.

“i want to know...why you stopped. i want to know why you came back.”

After a few seconds of silence, it's clear Sans isn't going to say another word.

He just stands there and continues to watch you intently for a reply.

You can’t help but scowl at him. Is he serious?! He wants to know this _now!?_ You tried telling him this before! All of this! But he wouldn’t have any of it! So, why now?

It didn’t make any sense to you.  
  
“Really?” You ask him suspiciously as you cross your leaves over your container's rim. “Well, last time I tried to tell you, you didn't seem like you wanted to listen.”

He doesn’t respond and continues to stare down at you expectantly.

Honestly, you shouldn’t tell him anything about you...or the person you use to be or..or.. _whatever!_ It didn't matter! He had his chance and he blew it!

...

But…

**_“so as long as you hold on...so as long as you do what’s in your heart...i believe you can do the right thing.”_ **

Your determination pulses, it’s quiet but firm.

_Sans deserves to know, doesn’t he?_

You huff in irritation.

“Fine, but you have to listen this time.” Pointing at him demandingly, you add. “And no interruptions. Got it?”

Sans merely stands there.

You take his silence for a “yes”.

Sighing, you nod in the direction of the nearby wall.  
  
“Well, get comfy...this is going to take a while.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be posted early February...I uhh...actually have most of it done already ^^;


	44. Once Upon a Time...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter. It's pretty much revealing the reader's background and exactly how everything went down. Will probably go back later to the last chapter and make the transition to this one smoother. 
> 
> Either way, enjoy DANDYTALE (Or Dandy's Tale. XD)

"Well, for starters my name hasn’t always been ‘Dandy’.

At this point though, I guess it doesn't really matter what my name use to be.

I haven’t always been a flower, either. I was human once. I use to live in a big city, in my little apartment, where everything was fine.

…

Or...that’s what I would tell myself.

Looking back on it though, I wasn’t fine. The truth was that I hadn’t been ‘fine’ in a long time.

It’s so stupid. I’m an adult and I can say with confidence that I’ve never really had a good friend in my entire life.

Growing up, I was a pretty silly kid. I told lame jokes, enjoyed childish games, and lived for making others smile no matter how ridiculous I looked doing it. It was great, but my family and I were constantly moving. So, as soon as I made friends, we’d have to leave.

At first, it was hard. Leaving my old friends behind. But as soon as we reached a new town, I’d act like myself and I’d make new friends right away.

That is until the kids around me started getting older.

Each year everyone seemed less and less interested in childish things and more interested in teenager stuff.

The problem was, as they grew out of punny jokes, childish games, kid shows, and silly shenanigans...I didn’t.

Making new friends became harder and harder to do. I found that being myself only led to unfair criticism and ridicule. Any friends I managed to make just kept me around as a joke. Something to mock amongst themselves, usually laughing at how stupid I was.

People were no longer laughing with me but at me.

Looking back on it, I should’ve just ignored them.

But, I wanted to fit in so badly.

Then, I was told by my family that we would move once more.

Just one more time and that was it.

This was my last chance. There would be no more starting fresh after this.

I knew I had to do something.

So, I tried forcing myself to grow up.

I threw away every toy, every picture book, every kazoo, and everything else I had that was considered a ‘little kid’ thing. Then, I replaced it with things that the other people my age were into.

Posters of rock bands, CDs, magazines, raunchy comedy movies…

I even got new clothes.

On the outside, I looked like a normal teenager.

The problem was, there were other things that I couldn’t just pick up and thrown away...

My personality, my quirks, my random exclamations about food, my punny jokes, and silly attitude.

They were much harder to change.

The only thing I could really do was try and cover them up, but I quickly found out that I wasn’t very good at it.

Things often slipped out, seemingly at the worst possible times.

Even at the new school, they made fun of me and mocked me…but it wasn’t as bad.

It was then that I had realized that if I acted normal most of the time, if I pretended to be interested in the same things they were, and apologize after I’ve done something stupid, they wouldn’t criticize me nearly as much.

So, I kept it up. Eventually, some of them became my friends.

For a long time, I had tricked myself into thinking that I was happy.

But I wasn’t.

These people weren’t really my friends, they liked the person I pretended to be...not the person I really was.

It’s only when I graduated I had realized it. That day, I had felt like a weight had been lifted. I wasn’t sad to see these people leave my life, I was relieved. Finally, I could stop pretending. Finally, I could be myself. I could go out into the world and find people that liked me for who I was, not who I pretended to be.

But... I couldn’t.

After years of hiding, I couldn’t bring myself to just...open up to people.

Every attempt I made to try to express who I really was, I couldn’t help but see the criticizing look in their eyes. Whether it was really there or not…

So, I feel into old habits. I tried pretending to be a normal person, but when I started feeling weighed down by it...I decided it was best to just avoid people altogether.

It wasn’t bad, I mean I still talked to other people sometimes. But it was never about anything in depth. Otherwise, I got too anxious and started fumbling over my words.

Sure, sometimes I would try calling my family. They’ve always been supportive and loved me no matter what. I think they were the real reason I survived most of school, but during that time I had taken them for granted. Now, they had their own busy lives and contacting them was difficult. I didn’t want to be a burden on them.

So, most of the time I kept to myself. If I wasn’t working, I was doing chores or watching shows that I had convinced myself that I liked.

I told myself that I was fine, that I was ok living like this.

And I believed it.

Maybe not in my heart, but my head certainly did.

After all, I was safe. If I never opened up to anyone, then no one could hurt me.

I just accepted that it was better this way.

Then...something happened...

One day at work, I dropped my cell phone. Not even sure how. It just kinda fell out of my pocket. When I bent down to pick it up, something else caught my eye. Lying on the ground, shoved up behind one of the trash cans...was a flash drive with a little red heart drawn on it.

How it got there, I have no idea.

I figured someone must’ve either tried throwing it away or dropped it by accident.

Either way, I thought it would be best to find it’s owner.

I asked everyone, but no one had ever seen it before.

I didn’t know what to do.

I eventually came to the conclusion that I should see what’s on it. That looking through the files  would give me some clue as to who it belongs to. Honestly though, I think I was more curious than anything else.

So, that night, I brought it home and plugged it in.

What I found on it was not what I expected.

Accompanied by files upon files of coded documents was a single application called “Undertale.”

I’ve never heard of it before, but after looking over the “README” file, I learned it was some kind of video game.

It was weird. There wasn’t any more information about the game or the creator online. Or any listings about someone missing flash drive with a heart on it.

I was stumped...and intrigued.

I mean, I couldn’t remember the last time I even played a video game.

And this one seemed pretty interesting.

So, I decided to give it a go.

It wasn’t like I had anything better to do, after all.

As soon as I booted it up, I was instantly enthralled.

It was exciting, it was terrifying, it was adorable, it was moving, it was silly.

And that was only the first area.

Then, once I got out of the Ruins...I met you.

Honestly, I fell out of my chair I laughed so hard.

And between you and your brother, I just couldn’t stop.

Between all the puns and the silliness...

I was laughing more than I ever had in years.

Every day I found myself coming back to the game.

Actually, the only time I wasn’t playing it was when I was working or sleeping.

But I couldn’t help it.

For the first time in a long time...I was happy.

Then, a few days later, I finished it.

I got to the end of the game.

It was...unsatisfying. I didn’t really like the ending I got.

Really? That was it? I just leave the Underground and everyone behind?

Luckily, Flowey told me a way to get a better ending.

So...I reset and tried again.

With his advice, I was able to get an ending that was amazing.

It was perfect.

....

But…

I didn’t want it to end yet.

I thought...maybe just one more playthrough.

After all, I wanted to see what would happen if I had done some things differently.

Yeah, that was my excuse.

So, I reset it again.

And again…

And again.

I just...I couldn’t stop.

I didn’t want to.

The game just made me so happy for some reason.

I couldn’t really figure out why.

It made everything around me just seem..brighter.

I even found myself rediscovering the things that I used to like.

I picked up joke books, I bought colorful socks, I rented animated movies, and stuffed my face with Oreo cookies.

For some reason, I even started trying things I had no interest in before, like baking.

That...ehh...didn’t end well.

I felt like this for a long while, but then I started running out of things to do in the game.

Things were beginning to get boring. Even the puns were starting to get dull.

I mean, I had done everything.

The only thing I hadn’t done was...well...defeat someone.

I mean, I had done it by accident once...before I realized what I needed to do to spare them.

It made me feel uneasy, but I had brushed it off.

I was an adult after all and this was just a game.

These people weren’t real, this world wasn’t real.

Even you were just a fictional character.

Besides, it wasn’t like I couldn’t just reset and have everything go back to normal.

So, I tried some different outcomes. I defeated some monsters while I left others alive.

It was hard at first. Especially Papyrus...but I kept telling myself that it was just a game.

That I shouldn’t care.

While doing this, I discovered that not only would the ending change...but you did too.

I noticed that depending on how many I killed, changed what you would say.

How you would judge me.

At first, I felt bad...but then I got angry with you.

After all, you were doing the same thing that everyone had done.

You were criticizing me.

And for some stupid reason, I felt betrayed.

Like, I had been fine with you saying nice things about me...or telling me to be honest with myself and leaving the judgment at that…

But now…

Well, looking back on it I was stupid.

Of course you were saying those things to me. How else would you ever get me to stop?

At the time though, it just pissed me off.

I kept going.

Although, I still didn’t like what I was doing. But I kept telling myself that it was just a game and...I dunno...maybe I was just doing this to prove to myself that I didn’t care.

Either way, I eventually thought of something. If your judgment changed with each monster I killed...what would you say if I killed everyone?

Every single monster in the Ruins.

Every monster in Snowdin.

All the monsters in Waterfall.

And in Hotland.

What would happen then?

The idea didn’t sit well with me. I mean, killing some of the monsters were one thing….but all of them?

Still, I forced myself to do it.

Because it wasn’t real, it was just a game.

And I can always go back, right?

So, I went on a killing spree through the Underground. I killed everyone in one area before moving onto the next. I didn’t like it. I wanted to stop, but I knew that there was no turning back now.

I had already started, I needed to keep going.

Toriel…

Papyrus..

Undyne…

Mettaton..

Then, I reached you.

I can’t tell you how many times you killed me. It must've been at least 30.

I was so frustrated. Why couldn’t you just let me win?

But...it was weird.

Part of me hated you, but the things you told me...made me feel bad for you.

It was so stupid. You weren’t real, so why did I care either way?

Finally, I got to the point where I was farther than I had ever been.

That’s when you told me something strange.

You said that there was still a glimmer of a good person inside of me.

The memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing.

Someone who might’ve even been..a friend?

You called me buddy, and you asked if I still remembered you.

You asked that, if I was listening, if we could forget all this.

Then...then you offered me mercy.

You were sparing me.

Honestly, I didn’t think this would happen.

I didn’t know what to do…

For once, it didn’t feel like you were just talking to Frisk anymore.

It felt like you were talking to me.

It was like...you knew.

It was so long ago...but I remember feeling...something…

Maybe compassion? Maybe guilt?

Either way, before I could convince myself to stop, I had accepted your mercy.

Then...then you killed me.

For a brief moment, I felt like an idiot. Seriously, though? What else did I expect to happen?

As I sat there, I thought about trying again. I knew that eventually, if I kept going, I would beat you.

Then, you told me..that if we were really friends...I wouldn’t come back.

Friends…

You called us friends...

When you said that...I don’t know...something inside me just...broke.

I fell apart. I couldn’t stop crying.

Even though I had no idea why.

For some reason, I just couldn’t do it anymore.

I couldn’t keep going.

So, I closed the game. I cried at my computer for a long time, but...I was frustrated with myself.

Why was I being like this? It was just a game. It wasn’t real.

I tried going back and reopening it...but I couldn’t.

I just sat there with my hand hovering over the continue button.

I couldn’t bring myself to go back.

Eventually, I just gave up and pressed the reset button instead.

I thought that maybe the feeling would leave me then.

I left my computer...and I didn’t touch it for days.

Yet, I still felt like there was something I was supposed to do.

For days, this feeling plagued me. I couldn’t sleep...I barely ate.

Nothing around me held any joy anymore.

I didn’t know what though.

Why did I feel like this? Why did I quit the game? Why didn't I just go back and finish what I had started?

It’s so stupid...only now do I realize why I’d done all that.

I’ve been fooling myself this whole time.

Ever since the beginning, I knew this was all a game.

My head knew that...but my heart didn’t.

Despite everything, I had come to care about this world.

And the people in it.

It didn’t matter if it was real or not....because it was real to me.

 _You_  were real to me.

The jokes you told.

The pranks you pulled.

The advice you gave.

The judgments you passed.

They were real.

And they were never to mock me. They were never to ridicule me. Never to make fun of me...and they were never unfair.

You were real to me, and I cared about you.

And when you told me we were friends, I think my heart finally realized exactly what I was doing.

I was hurting my only real friend. The only one I’ve ever had.

Not only you but everyone I've come to care about in this world.

That’s why I couldn’t continue, and that’s why I felt like I had to come back.

You told me not to...but...I couldn’t just leave you like that.

I needed to fix what I had done.

You always believed that I could do the right thing. And I was determined to prove that I still could.

I was determined to help.

Because that's what friends do, right?

It took a while but eventually, I finally gave into the urge to act.

My heart knew what needed to be done. I needed to play the game again but, this time, I was going to give you the ending you deserved.

Then….I’d leave you be. I wouldn’t play the game anymore.

But, things didn’t go that way.

Instead, as soon as the game opened I was pulled into it by a black tar creature and a psycho little child.

Somehow, they ripped out my soul and my memories..

Stole my body…

And the next thing I knew, I was in the Ruins...

As a tiny talking flower....

....

And well...

That's when things really started to go downhill."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is a tough one. Should be done by the end of the month though. I think everyone will like it though ;)


	45. Heart and Soul pt.1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so there were some changes. One major one was the mention of the last playthrough. I realized I didn't want Sans knowing which path was which, cause he really shouldn't know what happens IN the paths, just how long they last.
> 
> BUT OH MY GOD!! IT'S DONE! Well, kinda. I had to split the chapter, so this is only part of it. The next chapter is planned to post on April 8th.
> 
> (also sorry the updated part isn't that long...i had problems ^^; )
> 
> (UPDATE 4/2: I have to change the post date. It’s goung to be April 15th.)

You let out an exhausted sigh as you stare blankly at the ground before you, feeling drained.

That had to be the most amount of talking you’ve ever done at once.

But you had to do it.

He had asked for you to tell him everything about you, and there was so much to cover.

After going over your beginnings, you had proceeded to tell Sans everything you were afraid to tell him before. About the visions and how your emotions started to fade. About the events that had occurred in the Core, causing you to flee to the Ruins.

You explained how you met Chara, how you found out exactly what they were, and relayed everything the ghost child told you.

You told Sans everything you could think of that was relevant to you and that could give him some insight into what was going on.

The only thing you didn’t tell him about was your weird dream from earlier. Mostly because it was just that, a dream.

It took a while, but you’re finally finished.

There is nothing else left to say.

As you continue to sit there, unmoving…. you realize just how painfully quiet the room is.

The fluid behind you continues to drip methodically.

The buzzing of electricity hums through the air.

And Sans’ quiet breathing is all you hear.

Otherwise, all is still and silent.

You can’t help but feel like something is missing.

Though you’re not really-

Oh…

Wait.

_ Music _ .

It finally occurs to you that you can’t hear any magic around you. Even though the fluid dripping from above should be full of it.

You’re not really sure why. It might have something to do with your missing roots.

Well, in any case.. without music, the room seems almost eerie.

As each second passes, a tension begins to grow heavy in the air.

Because you had told him everything.

Everything he wanted to know.

It’s all out there.

And now...

There is nothing else he needs from you, is there?

There’s no reason to keep you around.

_ So, there’s nothing really stopping him from- _

You sigh.

You’ve dodged around this long enough.

Seriously, you should’ve been dead a long time ago. That knife should’ve killed you. You’re not even sure how you survived that. Maybe your determination was stronger than you thought? Maybe you were just lucky? Or maybe it had something to do with this body.

After all, maybe you really are a stupid little weed.

And if that’s the case, you’re probably hard to get rid of.

Though, you don’t think Sans will have any sort of trouble.

Straightening yourself, you stretch your stem as you think your words over carefully in your head. You don’t think you’ll have to convince him to go through with it, but you might need to reassure him that this isn't some kind of trick.

Taking a deep breath in...you let it out.

You relax before finally breaking the silence.

“Well...that’s it. That’s everything I know.”

You pause for a moment as you quickly glance over at the skeleton.

He’s still leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets. His eyes are fixated on the ground in front of him, seeming to be thinking intently about something.

It doesn’t look like he's moved since you started. All this time, he’s just been standing there, not interrupting you once. However, with him being so quiet it makes it hard to tell what he really thinks of what you told him.

Does he believe your tale? Or does he think you’re lying?

Well…

Guess it doesn’t matter either way, does it?

Regardless, you had told him the truth.

He can take it or leave it for all you care.

“So, now what?” You ask before averting your gaze to the metallic table below. “You got what you wanted. You have no use for me now and after everything I’ve done...”

Turning to fully face Sans, you force a smile.

“Might as well get rid of me, right?”

The skeleton eyes finally peel away from the floor. He stares at you, brow furrowing slightly.

Probably out of suspicion or confusion.

You’re not sure which.

And you don’t blame him. It’s not a normal thing that a person suggests.

But you are so tired.

Tired of being here.

Tired of not being able to feel anything.

You were ready for this to end a long time ago.

And in reality, it’s only right for Sans to be the one to do it.

After all, you're the one who has been putting him through all this.

It only makes sense.

In the back of your mind, you can’t help but think that the reassuring smile your trying to fake is looking a little off. More sad than reassuring. You try to tweak it a bit. Nope, still seems sad. So instead, you just drop it.

You just keep going with a blank expression.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to stop you.”

You lower your gaze as you shrug nonchalantly.

“I’ve got no reason to.”

As your gaze falls, it lands on the reflective table top. Its surface is scratched and scuffed from years of use, but in it, you can still make out your blurry reflection.

It’s tough, but you can see that your petals are jagged and sagging slightly. You can imagine that the scratches you’d seen on them before are pairing nicely with your new injuries. And with your roots gone and leaves roughed up, you think you have a pretty good picture of what you look like in your head.

Wow.

You’re a complete mess, aren’t you?

As you close your eyes, you can’t help but let out a half-hearted laugh.

“I mean, look at me.”

Once again, you try to force a smile as you look over to the skeleton. His confused expression seems to be replaced with one that you can’t really put your leaf on.

Your smile widens as your head cocks to the side slightly.

“What is there left to save?”

His expression doesn’t change. You straighten yourself as you continue. “The person I used to be, they don’t exist anymore. I’m the only thing that’s left and I’m hardly worth keeping around.”

The skeleton continues to stare intently at you, much too intently for your liking.

You lower your gaze.

“I’m just a fragment...a piece…” As these words slip past your lips, you can’t help but think back to a memory.

For some reason, it wanders to the last night you had been happy with everyone. The night of the sleep over, to hanging out with Sans in the kitchen, to when you were raving about your favorite treat like a moron.

For some reason, you can’t help but compare yourself to what you had told him.

**_“I mean, if you separate the pieces, it's not really an Oreo anymore is it?”_ **

“I’m…” Your smile falls as you remember what you said before. “I’m just a cookie that was once part of an Oreo.”

...

Wow…

Saying that out loud sounds really..really dumb.

You kinda regret saying that now.

You better just stop while you're ahead. You’ve said pretty much everything you wanted to, anyways.

You look up at Sans once more. His gaze is focused on the floor in front of him before it quickly meets your own.

Gripping the side of the container with your leaves, you open your mouth to say one last thing...but you quickly close it.

_ No, it wouldn’t be right. _

There is a part of you that thinks you should apologize for what you did. To him, to his brother, his friends...everyone. But you know it wouldn’t be right. You can’t feel remorseful for what you had done. Not anymore.

Apologizing now would carry no weight to it.

It would be meaningless.

_ Better just...leave it at that. _

You take a deep breath and let it out.

“So, go ahead.” You lower your head, your top petal falling slightly into your face as you do so.

The room grows painfully quiet as you simply sit and wait for your end to come.

The fluid drips…

The lights buzz..

Yet, Sans remains eerily still.

The silence stretches between the two of you.

Second, after second...the liquid continues to drip behind you.

The sound is quickly grating your nerves...

It's more annoying than a ticking clock.

Regardless, you keep still. Your eyes on the table below.

You watch the dull reflections of light and color in its scuffed exterior.

Then, you hear movement.

A few soft footsteps and the reflections in the table shift.

Blue and white quickly overtake its surface but you don’t dare move.

His reflection is too distorted by the table’s imperfections to see clearly, all you can tell is that he is before you now. Honestly though, you wouldn’t need to see to know that. You can feel his stare piercing a hole through the top of your head.

So, this is it?

For real this time.

In the back of your mind, you can’t help but wonder if this is gonna hurt.

Then, you remind yourself that this is Sans…

It’s probably gonna hurt A LOT.

There is a rustle of fabric and you try desperately not to flinch.

A shadow falls over you, and you can feel something hovering above your head.

There is a small part of you that’s regretting your decision.

A small part that still wants to help.

But you quickly stifle it.

_ I’m no help to anyone anymore. I’ll just get in the way. _

Despite telling yourself this, the feeling is still there.

You push it aside as you close your eyes, thinking it's probably best if you don’t see it when it happens.

Now, all you have to do is wait.

The annoying dripping is continuing to fill the silent void, grinding on your very last nerve.

Still, you wait….

Then, when you feel like you might explode from all the suspense....it happens.

A weight falls and rests lightly on your topmost pedal.

Clenching your jaw, you brace yourself…

...

But…

Nothing else happens.

Other than your petal feeling a little bit heavier, you feel fine.

Confused, you open your eyes and look up.

Well, as far up as you can.

The weight on your head is pushing your petal into your face, blocking most of your view. But even with the obstruction, you can clearly see the bottom edge of Sans’ sleeve suspended in front of you. And that alone is enough to figure out what’s going on.

Sans’ hand is resting on top of your head.

And you’re still alive.

Which is not something you had expected.

A bit hesitantly, you begin to ask him “What...what are you-?“

However, Sans cuts you off.

In a calm and even voice, he asks you a question of his own.

“do you know what kind of plant fits in your hand?”

You sit there for a moment as you stare blankly ahead.

Now you’re even more confused.

Honestly, you don’t really even know what to say.

“I...I don’t...” You mutter, struggling to comprehend why Sans was asking this.

Luckily, you don't have to struggle for long... Sans answers for you.

“a  _ palm  _ tree.”

.....

You blink.

The room is silent.

You let his words sink in for only a mere moment.

Then, it dawns on you.

_ Did...did he just tell a joke? _

You stare blankly ahead of you, too baffled to move.

_ Maybe I heard him wrong? He couldn’t possibly be telling jokes at a time like this, right? _

“why was the cactus wearing sunglasses?” He asks. This time, you’re able to pick up something in his voice.

A hint of amusement.

And your jaw drops.

_ No way! He...he is. Isn’t he? _

You try to lift your head, but his hand seems to be restricting your movements.

“Wait, you’re really-?”

Once again, you're cut off before you can finish.

“cause he wanted to look  _ sharp _ .”

You frown as you try to wiggle out of Sans’ palm, but his hand follows you.

Irritation is beginning to boil inside your core. Here you are, ready for him to kill you and he’s not even taking this seriously?!

Frustrated, you raise your voice to him. “You’re _ really  _ telling jokes at a time like this!”

Finally, Sans releases you.

You lift your head and give him a pointed look, watching him as he draws his hand back. His smile widens as he waves the hand in a shrugging motion.

“eh, i can’t  _ kelp  _ it.” He says as he gives you a wink.

Which only makes your insides boil more.

You just want to get this over with! Why does he have to mess with you like this?!

“Come on!” You shout, feeling your patience growing thin. “If you're going to kill me just-“

“kill you?” He asks, giving you a feign look of confusion. “now, why would i do that?”

Your teeth clench as anger begins to boil inside you.

“Because look at me!” You shout as hold your leaves in front of you, the rim of the glass catching under them. “Look at what I’ve done! How do you not want to tear me into little shreds?!”

Sans stuffs his hands in his pockets as his head tilts to the side.

“what? and lose the best target for my  _ succulent  _ plant puns?” Sans looks away from you as he continues to grin, shrugging carelessly. “nah. i haven’t even  _ unearthed  _ the best ones yet.”

You rest against the glass barrier, your gaze falling as you begin to rack your brain for some sense of logic.

But try as you might, you can’t find any.

“I...I don’t understand.” You mutter to yourself, your eyes darting as they try to search the world around you for an answer. “Why aren’t you-”

Finally, you lift your gaze and shout at him. “Why are you sparing me?! You..”

You straighten yourself, grabbing the edge of your container with your leaves as you push yourself farther out of it.

Watching as Sans merely gives you a questioning look, you continue. “You don’t like me! You’ve never  _ cared  _ about me! You just pretended to care because you thought I was messing with the timeline!”

Sans gazes at you for a moment as you continue to glare at him.

Then, he closes his eyes as he lets out a chuckle.

"heh, well there's a nice thought.”

At his words your anger quickly recedes, leaving you with only confusion.

You can't help but stare at him, perplexed.

_ What..what does he mean by that? _

Then he opens his eyes, his expression appearing soft. At seeing your face, his smile seems to grow.

“things would be a lot simpler if that was true, huh?"

You remain motionless for a moment, processing his words.

Then, as you lower yourself back into your container, your mind begins to reel.

_ Does...does that mean…? _

This is mind blowing to you. Ever since that night at the restaurant, you had thought that he had been playing you this whole time. Pretending to like you just to get information out of you. To get on your good side because he knew you had done something to the timeline.

So, from what he told you, does that mean that isn’t true?

Does that mean he wasn’t just pretending?

Your eyes shift away for a moment as the gears in your head continue to turn.

"I...wait...so you…?" You look at Sans questionably.

He seems to pick up on what your trying to ask.

But Sans doesn’t really answer you, not with words anyways.

Instead, you just watch as his smile widens.

Which gives you enough of an answer.

_ So, it’s true then. _

Wow…

You wish you could be more excited about this.

You wish you could be happy.

But...you can’t.

You can’t feel anything.

All you can feel is your mind desperately trying to comprehend the situation.

Cause let’s face it, it doesn’t matter if he cared about you then. It doesn’t matter if he actually liked you or had thought you were friends.

That was then.

This was now.

He knows what you did now.

And you remember how pissed he was when he found out. He looked more than willing to kill you then if he could.

How on earth could he still actually  _ like  _ you after that?!

He couldn't possibly still care about you!

“That....” You frown as you lower your gaze. You rack your brain for answers, some kind of explanation that would explain why Sans wasn’t destroying you right now.

But there’s nothing.

“That doesn’t make any sense!" You shout in frustration. "I’ve tortured you! I killed everyone you know and love multiple times! You know this! You know what I’ve done! So...so...”

You look up at the skeleton before you. He’s still standing there with that dumb smile on his face, which only infuriates you more.

“Why?!” You yell, feeling the anger pulse within you. “Why aren’t you killing me! I’m asking you to do it! I'm giving you a free shot to get me out of your life forever! Why aren’t you taking it?!”

You glare at Sans, waiting for some kind of answer from him.

Nothing he’s doing is making any sense to you.

_ Is he doing this because there’s no reason to? Is he doing this because he wants to keep me around for amusement? Is he worried that I’m going to turn on him the last second so he’s just not going to do it? _

The ideas circling around your head continue to accumulate, but none of them seem to fit.

They don’t really seem like anything Sans would do. Given the circumstances, killing you is the option that makes the most sense.

He hates you now.

He doesn't need anything from you.

And now, you're only a liability.

You can only make things worse for him.

Honestly, you wouldn't put it past you.

Despite wanting to do the right thing, you still aren't convinced your judgment is sound.

You remember how quick the idea had popped into your head about harming Frisk. Who's to say that couldn’t happen for someone else?

No, this was the best option.

So, why isn't he doing it?

_ I just don’t get it. _

The skeleton simply holds your stare for a moment, but as you watch him his smile starts to fade.

After a few seconds, he lowers his gaze. Taking a hand out of his pocket, he closes his eyes as he pinches the bridge of his nose wearily.

You can’t help but notice how tired he looks.

Then, you hear him mutter something under his breath.

It’s barely loud enough for you to pick up.

“you seriously think i could just…after everything..”

The anger within you slowly begins to fade as you look at him in bewilderment.

Now, you’re more confused than anything else.

Try as you might, you just don’t really understand.

After a moment, he lowers his hand and looks at you.

You continue to stare at him quizzically.

Then, he lets out a sigh.

“but, you still don’t understand...do you?”

You blink and well, not knowing how else to respond, you simply shake your head slowly.

The stocky skeleton lowers his head and he runs a bony hand across it.

For some reason, you can’t help but notice how odd he looks.

The smile he always used to wear is completely gone now, replaced by an expression you’ve only seen once before.

Back when you were in the kitchen with him.

You didn’t really know what the expression was then…

Maybe tired..or sad...or worried…

Or a mix of all three..

Now…

Well...

Now you REALLY don’t know what it means.

But regardless, he looks even more exhausted now than he ever had before.

You continue to watch him, not really sure on what else to say or do. After a moment, he stuffs his hand back into his pocket.

Then, he turns and leans back against the table beside you.

Looking up at him, you notice his gaze is fixed ahead.

He still isn’t smiling.

This is really weird to you.

Honestly, you didn't think this was how it was going to go.

But now it’s pretty obvious to you that Sans isn't going to kill you.

Not for a while, anyways.

Though, you’re not entirely sure why.

Regardless, there’s nothing you can really do about it. Despite wanting the end to come you can’t really  _ make  _ him kill you.

So instead, you turn your head and face forward.

Staring ahead blankly, you continue to wait for...well...you’re not really sure what.

For something to happen, anyways.

After a few moments of silence, Sans finally speaks.

“at first i was curious, ya know?” He says. You glance over at him, just long enough to meet his gaze before he adverts it. You watch Sans with mild interest as he continues.

“you were something different. something new. the first new thing in a long time. i wanted to see what you would do and well…” Sans looks over to you as the corner of his mouth tweaks upwards in a sly smile. “it was kinda fun messing with ya.”

Instantly, your mind goes back to the first time you ran into him, the shenanigans that ensued in the house, the ice-cold water he poured on your roots....and all the puns he told while you were trying so hard not to be seen.

Your jaw drops in disbelief as your temper flares.

_ He  _ **_was_ ** _ messing with me! _

Sans closes his eyes, seeming to ignore your reaction but his smile widening slightly all the same.

“so, i let you be.” he says with a shrug. “it wasn’t like it really mattered, anyway. sooner or later, there would be another reset and chances were, you wouldn’t be back.”

The anger from before slowly fades, replaced by curiosity.

Sans eyes open, his smile fading.

“but..hours passed...then days.”

Staring at the ground before him, his brow furrows.

“no resets, no jumps in time...nothing.”

He’s quiet for a moment, almost like he’s reliving that confusing time all over again.

“it didn’t make sense.” he says in a hushed voice. “why was the kid acting differently now? why were they taking so long just to keep going? why hadn’t they reset yet?”

After a moment, he glances over at you and shrugs.

“i figured, it had to be because of you. you were the only thing new this time around.”

His gaze once again fixates on the ground before him.

You follow suit, turning your gaze straight ahead as you simply listen to his words.

“for one reason or another, frisk wasn’t progressing because of you. but what i couldn’t figure out was why? was it something you told them? something you did? or was it just your presence here that changed their mind?”

Sans pauses, and you take a moment to reflect.

_ So, he knew. _

Guess he had suspected you all along, huh? He knew that you had something to do with Frisk not resetting.

And in a roundabout way, he was right.

You were removed from controlling them. Because of that, they could now do whatever they wanted... not what you wanted them to do. Meaning that if they wanted to take days to progress, then they could.

And Sans had noticed, he just didn’t know how you did it.

_ Does that mean the timeline ending was all my fault? That the reason it couldn’t continue was because I kept resetting? _

You’re not really sure, but you don’t have time to dwell on it as Sans speaks up once more.

“part of me wanted to know everything. who you were? how you got here? what your connection to frisk was? what you had done to cause all this? why, out of all this time, did you showed up now?”

He stops for a moment, then he says in a low voice.

“but another part...it didn’t want to waste time caring.”

You look over at him curiously.

The lights in his eyes don’t meet yours, they keep straight ahead as he tells you. “it was pointless. eventually, the kid would  _ have  _ to reset. it was only a matter of time, then everything would be back to the way it was.”

Your brow furrows as a particular word hits your ears.

_ What did he mean by  _ **_have_ ** _ to? _

Sans glances over at you, stopping that train of thought.

“but the more i watched you, the more i talked with you...the more i wanted to know.”

His gaze returns forward once more.

“it was obvious you were hiding something, the things you said and the things you did...they didn’t always add up.”

You look away, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Yeah, looking back on it...you made a lot of mistakes.

And you knew that Sans saw them too.

Especially the one time you had blatantly lied to him.

Yeah, that was a terrible lie.

“i wanted to know what it was... but i also thought that i shouldn’t really care. it wasn't my business, anyway. ‘sides, i knew a reset had to be coming, i just...didn’t know when.”

You hear the skeleton let out a sigh, then he adds “and for once, i hated not knowing when to expect it.”

_ For once? _

You give the skeleton an awkward look, but he doesn’t see it.

Something about that phrase strikes you as odd.

You’re not really sure why.

However, a crinkling sound distracts you from pursuing this thought any further.

The sound is brief but it manages to catch your attention before it quickly stops.

You wonder for a moment where that sound had come from, seeing the only piece of paper in the room was shoved into a nearby corner. However, as the skeleton continues to speak, you quickly push this thought aside.

“eventually, i just couldn’t take it anymore. i had to know. one night, i went to go check the reports.”

Sans leans away from the table, then turns to face it. Once again, you hear something crinkle as Sans pulls his hands out of his pockets. You notice that in one of them there’s a small white rectangular object.

A tightly folded bundle of paper.

Curiously, you watch as he begins to unfold it.

“i wasn’t expecting much. maybe the kid caused a few days to add to our timeline or something.”

It takes only a moment for him to unfold most of it, but you notice that there is still quite a bit left to go. However, he doesn’t unfold it any farther. He just holds it out in front of him as he looks down at it. Then, he looks over at you and tells you “but instead, i found this.”

The skeleton sets the paper on the table’s surface next to you. Curious, you shift over to the nearest side and peer down at it.

Sans smoothes out the wrinkles before placing a hand on either side of the page, keeping it flat and open.

The document is angled slightly towards you so you can look at it better, but...you can’t really understand what you are seeing.

You’ve seen this kind of paper before, but you’re not really sure what it’s called. There are perforated holes on the top and bottom, and it looks like there is a crease in the middle of the page where it could be separated.

It’s the kind of paper that's used for long, continuous printing. That’s really all you know about it, though. The paper wasn’t really what caught your attention but rather what’s on it.

Lines…

Lines connected to lines connected to lines connected to lines…

_ There are so many lines. _

Along the bottom, you see numbers listed...but you don’t really know what they mean.

All the lines seem to be either horizontal or slanting to the right.

Some of them have very short, almost unnoticeable, lines attached to them. While others stop short and have another, much larger line branching off of it.

However, regardless of size, all of them are connected to each other.

And they all seem to be orientated to the right of the page. Like they were all flowing in the same direction.

The only thing you can really compare the sight to is a huge, branching tree.

_ So many lines. _

Honestly, just staring at it is making your eyes hurt.

“this is our timeline.” Sans tells you.

_ This...whole thing is a timeline? _

Looking over at him, your eyes meet. “now, normally it would be as straight as an arrow but with the resets..well…” He looks back down to the table, and you follow his gaze. “this is what we get.”

Staring at the page before you, you are suddenly hit with a realization.

_ I did all of this... _

As soon as the thought crosses your mind, you remind yourself that it wasn’t just you.

Flowey also had control of the timeline at one point.

As well as other players….you think.

You can’t help but wonder exactly how much was because of them and how much was you.

Lifting a hand, Sans motions to the page before you. “all these lines, they’re all the paths that frisk had taken and will take. past...present...future...doesn’t matter, it’s all here.”

Sans takes a hand and points to one of the lines. You study the line for a moment, noticing that it seems to just abruptly stop.

“this line here, this is the shortest path...it took them about 2 hours.”

Sans moves his hand to another line, one that’s much longer but ends a bit differently. This line seems to not just stop, but have several other dashes after it. You can’t help but wonder why it’s like that.

“this one here was the longest at about 7 hours.”

Wow, your longest playthrough was seven hours long?

You’re...not sure if you’re impressed or dissapointed.

“and this one...” Sans says as moves his hand once more.

The line that his finger falls on is one you hadn’t really notice until now. This path appears longer than the rest of them, running completely off the side of the page.

It’s odd though. From what you can see, there doesn’t appear to be a single branch coming off of it.

“this is the one we are on now.” With that, you watch as Sans takes hold of the side of the page and begins to unfold it.

He keeps going, pulling the document towards him as he continues to unravel it.

You stare in awe as the line continues straight as an arrow across the ever-expanding document.

Eventually, you see a few bumps and lines coming off of it, but they’re almost microscopic.

Then, he finally reaches the edge of the paper.

And still, the line continues to run off the side of the page.

All you can do is stare.

It gives you a weird sensation.

Sure, you knew about this before.

However, knowing it didn’t end was one thing.

But seeing it the way Sans does….

It’s a little unnerving.

“this is all i could fit in my pocket.” he tells you, a hint of amusement in his voice. “trust me, it keeps going.”

You take a hesitant glance at him before turning to the page once more.

“no other timeline is like this.” He tells you. “the other ones last only a few hours before they either stop completely or eventually just fizzle out of existence.”

_ Fizzle out? _

You can’t help but wonder how a timeline can ‘fizzle out’.

After a brief moment, you recall the path you had seen from before, the one that had dash marks coming off of it.

_ Is that what he means? Why would it just- _

Sans interrupts your train of thought.

“it’s like, when they reach a point in either time or space, the timelines just...can’t continue.” The page before you lifts. Following its movements, you watch as Sans begins folding up the page once more. He seems only partially aware of what he’s doing, his eyes are unfocused as he begins following the folds he made earlier.

“frisk can travel time, open new paths and change its course, but even they have their limits. once the kid reaches this point, they can’t keep going…” Sans voice dips a bit lower as he adds quietly. “...no matter how determined they are.”

Sans continues to work the paper back into it’s folded shape, but you’re not really paying much attention. You’re still trying to figure out what exactly he was talking about.

The kid just...can’t keep going? But they can control the timeline. What could possibly prevent them from continuing?

_ No matter how... _

It takes a few moments, but then something in your head finally clicks.

The end of the game.

The credits.

Skips in time before it all just...ends.

_ A fizzle. _

Your eyes narrow as your gaze returns to the now vacant table below.

_ That’s what it is, isn’t it? _

This is something you had considered before, but you never really knew if it was true. Did time continue once you had finished the game? Were they all happy, living out their lives on the surface? Or once they got a happy ending, was it all just...over?

Now...now you know.

Even if you wanted the game to continue, it didn’t.

Once it was over, that was it.

There wasn't anything left of the timeline to keep it going.

Well, that’s disappointing.

At least you know now that you’re not the one preventing time from continuing.

And Sans...for some reason he knew about all of this.

Which makes you wonder, why does he know so much?

Sans lets out a laugh, drawing you back to attention.

With the paper back into its compact state, he shoves it into his pocket. With his other hand, he scratches his cheekbone.

“it’s either that or the timeline is erased entirely but...that’s a whole ‘nother set of problems.”

You tilt your head at him in confusion, not really sure what he means by that.

But he doesn’t seem to notice. Instead, he sighs and leans against the table in front of him. You watch as he crosses his arms on top of its reflective surface.

“none of the other timelines keep going like this one.” He states as he stares blankly ahead, appearing deep in thought.

Under his breath, you can hear him mutter. “just...just ours.”

He’s quiet for a moment. His eyes unfocused as he stares ahead. His features relaxed, making the dark circles stand out even more than before.

You continue to watch him, intrigued. This is the most insight you’ve ever had into what Sans actually knows.

You’re still confused on some things, such as the fact that Sans keeps referring to “other” timelines. And you’re not sure if you’ll ever really understand how the game credits are preventing the timeline from continuing.

Still...

It’s interesting and strange how much he’s actually divulging to you.

You can’t help but wonder in the back of your mind why he’s telling you all of this.

Then, he closes his eyes and sighs.

“i should’ve been happy.” He tells you, opening his eyes once more...but refusing to meet your gaze. “it meant that, for whatever reason, time wasn’t going to stop. that even if there was another reset, eventually...frisk would take this path again and time would keep going.”

His brow suddenly furrows, replacing the tired expression with an intense one.

“but i couldn’t.” He mutters quietly, an edge in his voice. “i couldn’t just accept it as a good thing and move on. it was just too good to be true. too good to not have any sort of consequence with it.”

Lifting a hand, he pinches the bridge of his nose. Closing his eyes, he rubs that area tiredly.

“i’ve checked the reports millions of times before, and there was never anything like this on any of them. time shouldn’t be able to change like this. something this big, it can only be altered by something even time couldn’t predict.”

You look at him questionably but say nothing.

You want to desperately ask him to explain.

How can time  _ not  _ be able to predict something?

That just didn't make sense.

But...

Everything about this whole thing was confusing enough.

So instead, you just add this bit of information to the list of things you’re not sure you’ll ever understand.

After a moment, the skeleton removes his bony hand from the bridge of his nose. As he begins to wave that hand in the air absentmindedly, he tells you “i couldn’t think of anything that would cause all this. i racked my brain for hours but...nothing.”

His hand returns to it’s folded state on the tabletop before offering a carless shrug. “eventually, i gave up. i finally went upstairs.” Sans glances at you for a moment before averting his gaze. “that’s when i heard you talking in the kitchen and...well…”

_ I was in the kitchen? Wait, so this all happened when I was here? _

This thought finally occurs to you, and you suddenly realize something you hadn’t before.

When Sans had brought up the reports in the restaurant, he never mentioned when he had actually checked them. So, you’ve just been assuming he had looked at them a long time ago. That he had always known that the timeline wasn’t going to end.

You figured that the only reason he was ever nice to you was because he thought you had something to do with it.

But, if what he’s saying right now is true…

Then, he didn’t know this until at least  _ after  _ you had arrived.

_ But...when was I in the kitchen talking? _

His gaze falls on you again. This time, he doesn’t look away. Instead, he simply watches you out of the corner of his eye.

“i heard what you told the kid. about getting out, no matter what.”

_ That’s the night I had a nightmare. I woke up with Frisk and we went into the kitchen... _

Your gaze lowers as the gears in your head begin to turn.

That night…

It was the last night you had spent at the house.

Meaning, he only knew about the timeline  _ literally  _ the night before your had your fight in the restaurant.

“it almost sounded like you knew that the timeline didn’t end.” Sans’ voice is quiet and hushed.

Jeeze, that sure does sound suspicious from his point of view.

That makes so much sense to you now.

_ So, this all happened  _ **_that_ ** _ night? _

As you sit there, staring at your blurred reflection below, something strange occurs to you.

A revelation.

“i couldn’t help it but…” As Sans trails off for a moment, you look up at him with newfound realization. He’s staring off to somewhere unknown, his chin cradled in the palm of his hand.

So, if he just found out about the timeline that night...

_ Then, why was he so nice to me before? _

Why did he seem to go out of his way to help you? To make you laugh? To encourage you? To support you when you needed it most?

If it wasn’t because he knew about the timeline, it must’ve been for another reason.

You can think of a ton of different possibilities but….

You already know the answer...

Because it’s something he’s already told you.

It’s just…it’s still something you can’t quite understand.

You continue to watch him as he blankly stares ahead. You’ve noticed it before, but...it amazes you just how tired a skeleton can look.

Especially when he doesn’t smile.

Sans sighs before his weary gaze falls to you. “i started wondering if you were the cause of all this. if you actually knew what you were doing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I had trouble with deciding how this was going to go. I decided to add a lot of information in that I didn't intend to originally. Then, I had to back off with some of it cause it was starting to get too confusing.


	46. Heart and Soul pt.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it, the full chapter is out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full chapter is completely done. I forgot to mention something before, I did change a part of the previous chapter (45) and it is kinda important. Basically, it explains why it's so quiet (Dandy can't hear music anymore.) It's in the first part of the last chapter, so you don't have to read very far in to see it.
> 
> Anyways, I also added something to this chapter (the part i had posted before) So, I would start ready after Dandys part about Sans being "smart ass." You'll see it ;)
> 
> Hope everyone likes. I might edit the end slightly

_Knew what I was doing?! What’s_ ** _that_** _supposed to mean?!?_

You can’t help but give Sans a pointed look. For some reason, you feel insulted.

However, as much as you want to say something…you keep your mouth tightly shut.

After all, Sans had kept quiet while you told your story. It would only be fair for you to do the same.

No matter how much you really want to tell him a thing or two.

Lucky for you, Sans seems to pick up on your foul mood.

As he watches your expression change, his smile returns as he chuckles. “heheh, settle down buddy. i didn’t mean it like that.”

Your lips purse together skeptically, but you don’t say a word. Sans turns and faces ahead, lazily staring at the wall as he explains.

“before all this, i thought that whatever you did to change frisk’s mind..you hadn’t really done on purpose. i didn’t think you were aware of the impact you were having on them.”

The smile on Sans’ face falls away again as he closes his eyes.

“after all, back then i had no reason to suspect that you knew about the timeline, the resets, any of it.”

As you stare at him, you realize that he’s right.

The only thing that Sans had ever picked up on was the fact that you seemed to know where you were going...but that didn’t immediately point to knowing about the future. All that really meant was that you lied about not really leaving the Ruins much.

You watch as Sans sighs and opens his eyes once more.

“now though? now i started to wonder if this was what you were trying to hide all this time.”

He glances over at you out of the corner of his eyes as he mutters “i wondered if this was the secret you were trying to keep from me. that you had changed the timeline and have been manipulating frisk on purpose.”

You purse your lips as you look away.

_ Jeeze, does he really have to say it like that? _

Something about that word “manipulating” just doesn’t sit well with you. It makes it sound like you had been conniving and deceiving. That this was all just some intricate plan, but it wasn’t.  You were just determined to help.

You reasoned with yourself that helping them would, in turn, help you....but that was it.

No elaborate plots. No sinister hidden agendas. Nothing.

But, you supposed Sans hadn’t known that...had he?

You hear Sans shift. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see him adjusting his propped up position. But otherwise, he remains in place. You decide to keep your gaze firmly fixated ahead as you wait for Sans to continue.

After a brief silence, he speaks up again.

“i kept telling myself to forget about it. that i was wrong. that there was no way that you.. _ you  _ ...had repaired the very fabric of time and space. i mean, changing frisk’s mind was one thing….but changing time itself?”

Sans pauses for a brief moment, seeming to contemplate something. Then, he sighs and continues.

“but i couldn’t help but wonder if it was true. if you actually found a way to fix what i couldn't…”

You give Sans a weird look.

_ What he couldn’t? _

The skeleton doesn’t meet your gaze, he just continues to stare ahead thoughtfully.

You don’t really have time to dwell on what was said as he continues onwards with his story.

“but how did you do it? and why? why repair a timeline that you’ve never been apart of before?”

The skeleton removes his hand from his chin and rubs his eye sockets tiredly.

“i was torn. i didn’t know what to believe. that night, i tried to recall more memories...thinking that there was something i missed.” He lowers his hand back to the table’s shiny surface, his eyes trained on it as it falls.

After a second, he mutters quietly “but i couldn’t.”

At this, you give Sans a questioning look.

_ What does he mean he couldn’t? _

Sans has the ability to recall memories in his sleep, you know this. He made that painfully obvious the last time you spoke. But what you don’t understand is why he could no longer do so.

Sans looks over to you, and upon seeing your confused expression the corner of his mouth pulls upwards in a tired smile.

“my mind and soul just...could no longer agree.” He tells you as he carelessly shrugs.

Your brow narrows as he averts his gaze, watching the smile quickly fall from his face.

_ That’s right...I remember now. _

He said something about this to you before. That your mind and soul have to be in sync for you to remember things you’ve forgotten in the past.

So, that begs the question...what did his soul and mind agree on to begin with? And what does it mean now that they didn’t?

You can’t help but think that there’s something about this that feels...significant.

However, you don’t really have time to ponder this it right now.

“i couldn’t stop thinking about it.” Sans tells you, quickly drawing your attention once more. “i kept telling myself it was ridiculous. just because you’ve never been here before didn’t mean you were the one who had caused all of this. you probably had no idea about any of this stuff. about frisk’s powers, about the timeline changing, or about the other resets.”

Sans looks over to you, cocking his head to the side.

“but with your slip up at the stand...i changed my mind pretty fast.”

Agitated, you press your mouth into a firm line and quickly look away.

_ You don’t have to remind me. _

You know very well of the mistake he speaks of.

That was probably the biggest slip up you had, and you knew Sans had caught it.

“i couldn’t believe it.” Sans mutters quietly. “you actually knew what i was going to say. what i would do. it was obvious. i hadn’t even done the gag yet and you were already on the verge of losing it.”

_ Freakin-I get it, ok?! Just, shut up about it already! _

Clenching your jaw tightly shut, you keep your eyes forward as you focus on not saying that out loud.

“it didn’t make sense.” He continues, barely loud enough for you to hear. “how could you’ve known what would happen if you’ve never even been here before?”

You hear movement. Looking over at the skeleton beside you, you watch as he lifts a hand and runs it across his skull.

“it bugged the hell outta me. i tried to tell myself just to forget about it but..i was already in too deep. i needed to know if you were aware of the timelines...and why.”

Removing the hand, he folds it back in place. He keeps his eyes pinned to the table, refusing to meet your gaze for some reason. “so at dinner, i dropped the hints and well...you finally told me.”

You perk up slightly, listening even more intently now than you ever had before.

This moment.

This was when it all unraveled.

This was when everything went horribly wrong between you two.

You can’t help but want to hear what he has to say about it.

The skeleton continues to stare at the reflective surface of the table, looking at it but not really  _ seeing  _ it.

For a long time, the monster before you doesn't say a word. You’re not really sure why. Maybe he's trying to think over something in his head?

Regardless, before your patience can wear any thinner, he finally mutters quietly “i just couldn’t believe it. i mean, i always knew you had been hiding something. but i never thought it was...ya know... _ this  _ .”

_So, what_ ** _did_** _you think I was hiding then?_

It’s a curious thought. If he wasn’t suspecting that you had changed the timeline, what did he suspect then? What did he think you were keeping from him?

Maybe someday you can ask.

For now, you keep quiet and listen.

The skeleton is silent for a second, then his head lowers ever so slightly and quietly tells you “i tried to play it off as nothing, but the more i heard...”

Sans lets the sentence hang in the air for a moment before continuing.

“i was beyond pissed.” His voice dips deeper as his brow bone creases, reminding you of how he looked that very night. “you were the reason for every single reset. you had been the one tormenting me this entire time, playing with people's lives like some kind of game.”

You watch him intently, waiting for him to keep going.

After a few moments, he says to you...his voice soft and no longer holding an edge. “but the worst part was, i wasn’t nearly as mad at you as i was with myself.”

You remain motionless for a moment, processing his words carefully.

Or trying to, anyways.

“Why?” You abruptly ask.

His eyes flick over to you and you quickly clamp your mouth shut. Great, so much for waiting to talk until he was done.

But you couldn’t help it. What he was saying made no sense.

Why would he be mad at himself?

And madder than he was at you?! You remember how angry Sans was when he found out, you can’t imagine him being madder at anyone more than that.

Especially at himself.

If Sans had minded your little outburst at all, he doesn't show it. Instead, he simply closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

As he begins to let it out, his eyes open and he says “cause all this time, i told myself not to get attached. not to care about what you were doing, who you were, or anything. i told myself not to trust you. that it would be pointless to get to know you before you disappeared forever.”

His eyelids lower, still keeping his gaze pinned to the table. “but when you told me what you’ve been doing...it actually hurt.”

You stare at him, watching as he seems to almost struggle with admitting these things to you.

His hand raises and he waves it through the air casually as he explains.

“i mean, i could’ve handled it if it were someone i hadn’t gotten to know. i could’ve brushed it off and continued pretending like everything was fine if it was someone i didn’t care about.” His eyes close as he lets out a sigh, lowering his arm once more.

Quietly, you hear him mutter “but...with you, i couldn’t.”

You continue to sit back and just...observe and listen.

That’s all you can really do.

Even if you would allow yourself to speak, you wouldn’t know what to say.

Sans eyes shift over to yours for just a moment, before they once again look away.

“despite telling myself that i didn’t, i ended up caring about you.”

Sans pushes himself off the table. He turns and takes a few steps away from you while he waves his hand around carelessly. “but i never wanted to care. about you, about this timeline...about anything!”

As he stops, he shoves the hand back into his pocket. For a moment, he doesn’t move or say anything more. Then, with his back facing you, he tells you in a bitter tone “cause caring in a world where nothing you do matters...it’s just set up for disappointment.”

You stare at Sans, the wheels in your head still turning and you continue to process what he was telling you.

You can comprehend what he’s saying, but you still just can’t quite understand it.

But...

You don’t think you ever will understand.

Not the way you are now, anyways.

“i felt like a fool.” He quietly murmurs, drawing your attention to him once more. Sans doesn’t turn around, he just continues to stand with his back to you. 

You can’t help but think that he must still trust you enough to believe you won't shoot him while he’s vulnerable. 

You quickly dash that thought aside, before you get any dumb ideas.

Instead, you keep your attention to Sans as he continues to tell you “from that point, i knew it had to have been you. you had to have been the one that caused all of this. then, the only thing i was concerned about was how. how did you do it? but when you seemed to turn on me and when you brought up papyrus, i was done.”

Sans finally turns to face you, his eyes dim and brown narrowed.

“i wanted nothing more to do with you.”

He begins to approach you, pulling his hands out of his pockets and gesturing angrily with them.

“i just wanted you to get out of my life. i told myself it didn't matter if you made it out, got stuck…” Sans shrugs nonchalantly as he adds. “hell, it didn't even matter if you died.” You pull back a little as the skeleton draws nearer, his expression making you feel a little uneasy. Sans stops in front of you, glaring down at you with daggers in his eyes. “whatever happened to you, i wasn’t going to care anymore.”

As you stare up at him, you try not to show that he’s making you nervous. You know he’s just trying to get his point across. Trying to convey the emotions he had felt when all this had happened.

You still can’t feel anything, but you get where he’s coming from.

After a few moments of Sans’ stare piercing through you, his expression softens. His stiff posture relaxes, and he looks away. Ever so quietly, he tells you.

“but, when you showed up with frisk...beat to hell…”He suddenly lets out a single, half-hearted laugh. Meeting your gaze, he gives you a small smile. “well, i guess you’re not the only one who's been fooling themselves.”

You frown as you lower your head, unable to hold his gaze any longer. For some reason, there’s something in his expression that’s beginning to make you uncomfortable.

“when it all comes down to it, i guess you just can’t control who you care about, huh?”

Keeping your head down, you look up at him.

In an instant, his expression hardens.

“don't get me wrong, i still haven't forgotten what you've done.” He takes a hand out of his pocket and points it at you accusingly. “whether you knew it was real or not you put me through hell. i can't forgive you, and i can't trust you.”

Your lower your eyes to the table, brow narrowing as you do so.

_ It’s not like I was asking for it. _

Really, you weren’t asking for any of this.

Yet here you are.

After a moment, Sans adds in a more docile tone. “but i didn’t come down here to drill you for answers and then just to dust ya. i came to hear what you had to say about all of this.”

In mild shock, your eyes dart up to his face. The skeleton before you isn’t smiling, but his expression isn’t harsh. It’s hard for you to place exactly what that expression is on his face though. 

Sans’ features relax further as he adds “to find out exactly what kind of person you really are.”

You frown as your gaze instantly falls to the floor.

_ To judge me. _

The thought irritates you, but you keep this thought to yourself.

After a moment, you see something shift out of your line of sight. Out of the corner of your eye, you watch as Sans spins around and leans back into the metal table.

Glancing up at his features, you notice his eyes are focused ahead. 

You fix your eyes to the ground once more, a sour expression still on your face. You never liked being judged, but at least he had seemed to actually listen to you this time.

Rather than just jumping down your throat like before.

Though, you can’t help but wonder…

Does he actually believe what you told him? 

He never really said.

Sans did say he didn’t trust you, so it’s possible that the integrity of your story is still out for debate.

But this finally explains it. 

Why he kept asking you questions and then backing off. 

Not because he knew you would tell him eventually so he was being respectful.  Not because he was probing you for information and manipulating you.  It was because he was struggling with himself internally. He didn’t want to care about anything, didn’t want to ask any questions, he didn’t want to get to know you, he didn’t want to like you...because it wasn’t going to matter. 

When a reset happened, you would be gone.

But he was curious about you and for some reason, he ended up caring about you.

Now though, the question was why?

Why does he care about someone like you?

Someone who he barely even knows. Someone who basically fucked up his entire life.

You don’t understand it.

As you sit there, silence continues to stretch between the two of you. Guess both of you are trapped in your own thoughts.

After a while, Sans breaks the silence with a chuckle. Curious, you look up at him. The skeleton looks at you, an amused expression on his face.

“ya know, it’s funny.” he begins, his tone light. “i always figured the anomaly was doing this because they were unhappy.” 

Sans adverts his gaze as he takes a hand out of his pocket and scratches his cheek. 

“guess I was right, huh?” He glances over at you, his smile widening.

You just hold his gaze for a moment, not really sure how to respond.

Then, a thought occurs to you.

“So, you believe me.” You simply state, deciding it was appropriate to speak now.

You watch as his smile widens slightly, answering your question.

For some reason, you’re still skeptical.

Really? That’s it? He just...believes you?

Just like that?

After everything that has happened, you’re surprised he isn’t more suspicious.

Why?

You narrow your eyes and ask “How do you know I haven't been lying this entire time?”

Sans faces forward as he closes his eyes.

“because if there is one thing i know for sure about you…” You watch the corner of his mouth strains as his smile widens even further. Opening an eye, he looks down at you and says smugly “it’s that you’re a terrible liar.”

You send him a wicked glare as agitation skyrockets within your little form.

_ Why does he have to bring that up?!?! _

Not to mention his answer doesn't really satisfy you.

In irritation, you click your tongue and turn away.

“ _ Tsk  _ . Really?” Turning back to him, you say. “You’ve known me for...what? A few days? Do you  _ really  _ think you can get to know someone in THAT amount of time?”

Sans simply watches you, his wide smile falling slightly and his features soften.

Your frown deepens as you avert your gaze to the floor below.

The irritation inside you slowly fades as you remember everything Sans has told you.

You want to understand….you wish you could…

But you can’t.

You know that he likes you, that he’s your friend….but…

What you don’t understand is why.

You’ve known Sans for a long time. Playing the game he made you laugh, he made you happy and he always believed in you.

He was your friend...but he never knew you.

He only knew Frisk.

With your gaze pinned to the floor, you ask him what’s been on your mind.

“You barely know me. So why....”

Your voice drops just above a whisper.

“...why do you even care?”

The dripping water behind you quickly overtakes the now silent room. For a long time, neither one of you speak. Keeping your head down, you simply wait for your answer.

For the logic behind all this.

Cause you sure don’t see any-

“you’re right.”

Startled, your head snaps up. You look over at him with a curious expression. The skeleton watches you out of the corner of his eye, a kind smile plastered on his features.

Sans offers you a shrug before saying “it doesn’t really make sense does it?” He closes his eyes as he continues. “i go out of my way to help you, i try to make you laugh, i believe what you say even though i don’t trust you and even though i can’t forgive you... i still give you a second chance.”

_ A..a what? _

Upon hearing these word, you perk up.

_ A second chance? Is...this what this is? _

You think so.

You’re pretty sure, anyways.

_ Is that why he spared me? _

No, you’re don’t think he would’ve killed you either way.

But if he hadn’t given you a second chance, he definitely would’ve left a long time ago.

Sans opens his eyes and looks over to you.

“you asked something like that a while ago too. in waterfall. back then, i didn’t really have an answer.” Sans looks away sheepishly. “or maybe i was just in denial?” He looks back at you and gives you a little wink. “hard to say.”

You give him a disbelieving look, but he ignores it as adverts his gaze once more. “but after everything i’ve heard….i think i get it now.”

The skeleton closes his eyes in thought, and you wait eagerly for him to explain.

He’s silent for a moment, seeming to gather his thoughts before he finally speaks up.

“it’s because all this time, you kinda reminded me of someone.”

You look at him curiously, but don’t say a word.

“an old friend.” He says, the relaxed smile growing ever so slightly. “someone who i’ve never really gotten to know before, but have been through a lot with.”

You’re sitting on the edge of your seat, hanging onto his every word. Wondering who exactly he was talking about, but knowing you shouldn’t interrupt to ask.

“we’ve seen the best of each other, and the worst.” As Sans opens his eyes, you notice that he’s wearing a strange expression.

Fondness maybe? You’re not really sure.

It’s an expression you think you’ve seen before though, but you can’t really remember exactly when you’ve seen it.

You watch Sans eagerly as he continues.

“but, even when things were looking bad...the baddest they’ve ever been...they still proved that they could do what was right.”

You stare up at the skeleton curiously. 

_Who is he talking about?_ _Frisk maybe?_

You think you might be right, but then you realize something.

_ He’s...he’s not just talking about Frisk, is he? _

Sans’ head turns to you. He’s still wearing that weird smile, and it only seems to grow as he looks down at you. “they proved that no matter what, that we were still friends.” 

You feel your tight posture relax a little.

You’re pretty sure you know who he’s talking about now.

Sans continues to smile as he says “even now, when they are torn apart at the seams…they’re still trying to do the right thing.”

The skeleton glances away for just a moment, appearing to struggle with his words. 

“they’re a…” 

After a second, he lets out a little laugh and turns back to you, saying “they’re a pretty dedicated friend.”

You can’t help but look away, feeling frustrated by all of this.

That person he’s talking about, that isn’t you…

Not anymore.

That person doesn’t even exist now.

_ This is so- _

A weight suddenly rests atop your head, startling you out of your thoughts. Looking up, you notice something is pushing your top petal into your line of sight. Shifting your head, you’re able to peak between the gaps in your petals to see what was weighing it down.

When you spy a boney white digit, you realize what it is.

Lifting your head slightly, you tilt it and look up at Sans questionably.

The skeleton gives you a warm smile in return, and in a soft voice he says to you. “that person, the one you use to be? i can still see them. they’re still inside you.”

You remain silent as you simply stare at him, wondering if he had actually known what you were thinking...or if that was just a lucky guess.

Sans bends down slightly to get a better look at your face as he continues.

“this person…through you, i’ve gotten to know them.”

The frustrated feeling begins to bubble once more, and you quickly look away as you frown.

_ What is with these skeletons and putting their hands on my head?! _

Sans doesn’t seem bothered by this. Instead, he continues what he was saying in the same caring tone.

“i like them."

You feel the skeleton’s had shift atop your head slightly, but he doesn’t remove it.

"i care about them.”

It feels like it should be reassuring, or consoling, but all it does is irritate you.

Your eyes narrow as your frown deepens.

“and this piece of them," he tells you "it  _ is  _ worth keeping around.”

You hate this.

You hate everything about this.

This was supposed to be a happy moment.

All your life, all you ever wanted was to have a friend, to find someone who understood you and appreciate you for who you are.

And Sans, he was that friend.

Finally, you found one.

And you couldn’t even enjoy the moment.

Bitterly, you mutter under your breath.

“This is so-”

“-stupid. i know.”

Surprised, you tilt your head up to Sans. Upon seeing your expression, he gives you a knowing smile.

You blink at him for a second, before you scowl.

_ Smart ass. _

Sans, however, only smiles smugly in response.

Part of you wonders how many times have you actually said that in front of him. Or maybe he just knows you well enough to figure out what you’re going to say. Or maybe he just got lucky…

Probably the last one.

After a moment, he removes the hand from your head and stuffs the appendage back into his pocket.

Then, he turns forward and the two of you sit for a moment in silence. You don’t really know what to do with yourself, so you just stare ahead and reflect on all that you had learned.

Which was much more than you ever expected out of him.

Still, there is a lot he hasn’t really told you.

Like, had Sans always known someone else was controlling Frisk? Or at least knew it wasn’t just the kid making the decisions?

What did he mean by fixing what he couldn’t? Had Sans tried repairing the timeline before?

How was Sans mind and soul in sync to make him able to remember memories from the other resets? And why weren’t they agreeing anymore?

And what exactly did Sans mean by other timelines? He made it sound like they were completely separate from this one.

You want to know these things, but you’re not really sure now is the time to ask. 

Maybe eventually these things will be revealed to you. 

Right now, there is one question that has been idling in the back of your mind. Waiting for a chance to ask it, but not really if you ever would get one. 

Now, now is your chance.

Not even looking up from your spot on the wall ahead of you, you carefully think the question over in your head.

“Sans?” You begin, then  wait for the lazy skeleton to acknowledge you.

“yeah?” He asks casually. 

You pause for a second, wondering if this is something you really should ask. Then, you make your decision and spit it out.

“Where’s Papyrus?” 

An eerie silence fills the room once more.

Part of you kind of regrets asking that now, but you need to know. After that dream you had, you’ve been wondering exactly where that boisterous skeleton had gone to. Part of you is unsure, but another part of you seems to already know.

After a few moments when you don’t hear an answer, you turn your gaze to Sans. He’s not looking at you. His gaze is firmly glued to the ground. The lights in his eyes are dim, his brow creased in a pained expression. 

Sans doesn't need to say anything.

It’s what you had figured.

Averting your gaze, you frown and mutter under your breath “I told him not to come back.”

A stillness falls over the room.

You sit there as you reflect on this new knowledge and exactly what it meant.

Despite everything you did to try to keep him alive, Papyrus was dead. Which is a bit irritating to you. You hate that, after putting yourself in harm's way to keep him safe, that it was all for nothing.

The skeleton was stupid and got himself killed anyways.

Well, that's if your dream was actually true.

But that would be impossible, wouldn’t it?

Suddenly, you hear the short skeleton murmur out of the blue “i should’ve listened to him.”

Curious, you look up to Sans. He’s still doesn’t meet your gaze. Instead, he keeps his eyes on the floor below as he continues quietly.

“he told me he found you, that you had asked him to evacuate the underground. he tried to get me and frisk to leave the house, but i refused. i was furious. i had told him not to trust you, to stay away from you. whatever you were planning, it couldn’t have been good. he tried to tell me you were still a good person, that you were trying to do the right thing...but i wouldn’t listen. we fought, and when frisk suddenly ran out of the house...he followed.” 

Sans eyelids close as he lets out an disheartened sigh. 

“..and i didn’t even try to stop him.” 

He sits like this for a long moment. Long enough to make you think you should say something. 

Though, you’re not really sure what.

Looking away, you try to search your brain for anything that might be appropriate for this situation. But all of it doesn’t really fit. You can’t apologize or feel sympathetic or any of that. So, saying something like that wouldn’t be right.

Instead, you decide maybe it’s best to just try and change the subject.

Thinking of another question you wanted to be answered, you quickly say “How long was I even out?”

There’s a moment of silence where you think Sans might be pulling himself out whatever dark line of thought he was in.

Then, the skeleton lets out a half-hearted laugh.

“well, from when i found you with frisk to when i dropped in on ya...probably an hour.”

Surprised, you jump and spin around to face him.

“WHAT!?! That’s it?!” You shout in bewilderment. 

Honestly, you were thinking you were out way longer than that. A couple days, even. After all, you did have your entire lower half completely cut from your body. That’s normally not something a person recovers quickly from. 

Sans looks down at you, an amused expression on his face. His eyes still appear a bit dimmer than before, but he seems to have set those thoughts aside for now.

The skeleton offers you a shrug “eh, give or take a few minutes.”

You open your mouth to question him when a dripping sound causes you to stop. You turn your head and look to the fluid dripping behind you. The green liquid continues to drop from the tube.

_ Oh, right...healing magic. _

You kinda forgot about this stuff. In the game, healing magic recovered your HP instantly. As long as you weren’t dead, you would be able to bounce back from anything.

At least...almost anything.

_ Well, I supposed growing back limbs is a little much. _

Turning back to Sans, you decide to ask another question that’s been in the back of your mind.

“So, where’s everyone else?”

Sans, who had been watching you curiously, tilts his head to the side and answers.

“well, papyrus managed to get the evacuation started. though some of the monsters don’t believe it’s a real evacuation.”

Your brow furrows.

Of course they don’t. Why would they believe that, out of all this time, there’s something dangerous in the Underground? 

With this thought in mind, you scowl sourly as you ask.

“So, what about Chara? Where is the little murdering psycho now?”

You watch as Sans averts his gaze thoughtfully.

“well, if i had to guess, probably on their way to fight undyne.”

You give the skeleton a questioning look. Not that you don’t believe him. But after all the time that had passed, you expected them to be WAY farther than Undyne.

“That…” You begin, lowering your gaze in thought. “...doesn’t seem right.”

“well, they did take a long time before leaving snowdin.” Sans chimes in. “they were basically tearing the town apart. seemed like they were looking for something.”

You ponder this for a moment, then you come to the conclusion.

“Probably looking for me.” You mutter, earning a light-hearted chuckle from Sans.

“pissed them off that much, huh?” He asks, amusement obvious in his voice.

But you really don’t see what’s funny about this, so you simply shrug and mumble quietly. “I guess.”

You continue staring at the ground, wondering if that really is the reason Chara hadn’t continued...or if there was another? 

Before this thought can progress any further, Sans speaks up.

“not even a little emotion, huh?” He asks you.

With irritation beginning to rise, you frown and look over to him.

He’s giving you a quizzical expression, and it only makes your irritation flourish. 

“I told you, I can’t feel anything anymore.” You mutter to him bitterly, before turning away and adding “I’m just memories.”

With this agitation subsiding, you sigh tiredly. Quietly, you add under your breath “I’m just...broken.” 

The two of you simply sit there for a moment, neither of you saying a thing.

Then, Sans suddenly speaks up.

“listen, you might be broken...but you're not gone.” Curious, you look over at him. Sans offers you a reassuring grin. “the pieces of you are still there. you just have find them and…” He glances away for just a second. Then, his smile widens at you as he continues “pull yourself together.”

Rolling your eyes at his statement, you scoff.

“Yeah, right.” You say in obvious doubtfulness. 

Turning back to Sans, you offer a fake grin as you sarcastically say. “Cause it's just that easy, isn't it?”

Your smile instantly falls as you give him a harsh look. “Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm a complete wreck.”

Sans, however, doesn’t seem affected by this at all. He just continues grinning like an idiot as he merely shrugs. 

“nah, it's not that bad.”

Your jaw drops in disbelief. Did he  _ really  _ just say that to you? 

“Not that bad!?” You shout, lifting yourself higher out of your vase as you do so. With your new elevation, you continue to exclaim. “My mind's a mess!” 

“seems to be working fine to me.” He simply retorts, which only makes you more frustrated.

“My body's been stolen!” 

Sans averts his gaze as he replies “looks aren't that important, anyway.” 

With a huff, you shout at him.“And my soul's gone! I don't know what Chara did with it, but the soul they have isn't mine!” You glare at Sans for a moment, who doesn’t seem to have anything to say on the matter. With your agitation quickly subsiding, you lower yourself into your container once more.

As your gaze falls on the table below, you remember the soul Chara had.

Pure, bright red...one of the brightest reds you’ve ever seen. You knew it wasn’t yours once you got a good look at it, you could just...feel it.

Chara’s soul was different.

Brighter…

More intense…

And overall, just felt more powerful than the one you remembered.

Under your breath, you quietly murmur. “Mine’s not that bright, not that....not that strong.”

Once again, the room falls silent. The dripping sound seems slower than normal, you wonder if the fluid might be running out soon.

Before you can pursue that thought any further, you hear Sans say to you “i don't think you give your soul enough credit.”

You can’t help but roll your eyes at him once more.

“Oh really?” You ask in a mocking tone. “How would  _ you  _ know?”

The skeleton lets out a chuckle and simply replies. “just a feeling.”

Your brow furrows and you can’t help but give him a quizzical look.

_ What the hell is that supposed to mean!? _

You can’t help but think that Sans knows something that you don’t.

And you don’t really like it.

As your mouth opens to question him, you hear something.

The small pitter patter of feet echoes around the small room. You can hear them tapping against the tiles as they quickly draw nearer. Turning to the doorway curiously, you watch as a figure enters the room but comes screeching to a halt at the doorway.

The child stares at you, appearing almost stunned as their hold tightens around the large blanket draped over their small shoulders.

_ Frisk. _

What are they doing down here? Judging by the blanket and the sleepy look in their eyes, they must’ve been sleeping in the other room. 

They probably came to check on you, but why did they hurry?

Maybe they noticed Sans was gone and...well...expected the worst?

Either way, it didn't matter.

You’re not delighted at all to see them.

The last time you were around them…

**_I’m going to fall over, get hurt, and probably freakin’ die if I try to get up again._ **

**_I should’ve just stayed with Frisk._ **

**_Stayed and waited for a monster to come by, kill Frisk and force a reset._ **

No. You can't let them near you. 

**_That little- I am dying of boredom here and they are just freakin stalling!_ **

**_Screw this! When I get my hands on that kid I'm gonna-_ **

You quickly push these thoughts aside, you don’t want to get any funny ideas.

Despite everything that has happened, you still can’t trust your own judgment around them.

Sure, you don't have many reasons to hurt them now. They don’t have control of the timeline anymore and killing them will no longer force a reset. And making them get to the end of the game isn’t going to work anymore either, cause the end doesn’t exist. 

They don’t really have a lot going for them that makes you want to kill them.

But…

_ They still have a soul, don’t they? _

It’s true.

Frisk does have a perfectly good-

_ SHUT UP!! _

You snap out of your thoughts only to realize that your gaze had fallen slightly, directly over Frisk’s chest.

Quickly, you scowl and avert your gaze.

_ This isn’t good. _

The kid can’t stay in here with you. You need to put as much space between them and you as possible.

And seeing there is no way for you to go anywhere, there really is only one option. 

“Sans,” you mutter quietly as you keep your gaze focused on the opposite side of the room, “get them out of here, would ya? Before I do something stupid.”

You keep your thoughts to a minimum as you wait for Sans to shut the kid out of the room.

It’s the only way for you to prevent this from going badly.

After a moment, you hear the skeleton next to you push himself off the table and shuffle forward. 

Your scowl relaxes, feeling more at ease...but you keep your eyes pinned in place. 

You listen as Sans approaches the kid. 

After a second, he stops. 

“come on.” Sans softly mutters.

Then, you hear the quiet shuffling of footsteps.

_ Good, he’s taking them out of the- _

The footsteps stop. 

Confused, you take a hesitant glance at the two.

Then, dumbfounded by what you saw, you have to look again.

Now...now you’re staring at them in bewilderment.

Instead of leaving the room, the kid seems to have gotten even closer.

They now stand halfway between you and the door. They stare at you, appearing hesitant as they fiddle with the tattered fabric in their grip.

What’s even more surprising is that Sans is standing next to them, an arm draped over their shoulders. He watches the kid intently as you hear him mutter something too quiet for you to hear.

You frown, something about this doesn’t seem right.

“What...what are you doing?” You ask them suspiciously. Sans glances over at you for just a second, before he turns back to the kid and whispers to them once more.

Something in the kid’s expression seems to change and after a moment they give a firm nod.

Sans gives Frisk a little pat on their shoulder.

Then, he steps away.

Your eyes widen as you frantically look between the child left standing in the middle of the room and the skeleton that put them there. 

“Sans!? What the hell?!” You shout angrily, but he doesn’t even acknowledge you. He just stands a few steps away from Frisk as he watches them intently. 

You glower angrily at him.

“Are you even listening to me?!?” You shout.

Sans closes his eyes, his smile seeming to widen.   
  
“relax, small fry.” He tells you as he shoves his free hand into his pocket. “i'm just testing something.”    
  
“What do you mean you’re-!!” Your jaw tightly clenches shut as you abandon that sentence halfway through. It’s obvious Sans isn’t listening to you, wasting your breath on him would be pointless. 

So, you turn to a different target.

“Hey, kid!” You call to the child standing before you. They seem to have been watching Sans retreat out of the corner of their eye, because they jump as you address them. Their attention falls on you now, and they seem to shrink back at your harsh glare. 

“Don't listen to that bonehead, just beat it!” You exclaim as you wave your crumpled leaf dismissively.

You turn your head away from them as you wait for them to retreat.

But after a moment, you don’t hear a sound. You peak over at them. 

They haven’t moved from their spot. 

They just continue to stand there, gaze fixated on the floor nearby. The kid hikes the blanket up higher around their face, appearing not unlike a turtle trying to hide in their shell.

As you stare at the fabric for a moment, something finally clicks.

Oh, that’s Papyrus’ cape...isn’t it?

_ They must’ve been using it as a blanket to sleep. _

Part of you wonders why Frisk has it though. 

_ Maybe Sans let the kid use it. _

Something inside you feels weird, almost painful...but you chalk it up to the healing magic beginning to fade.

The kid is clutching Papyrus’ cape like a safety blanket.

It’s pretty obvious that they don’t want to be here. 

That they’re uncomfortable.

That all they want to do is run and hide.

If that’s the case, then why are they still here?

What purpose do they have being here?

They’re afraid of you, they’re in danger with you around them...

_ Why aren’t they leaving? _

When Frisk doesn’t show any sign of moving after a few moments, you can’t help but roll your eyes in irritation as you face them.   
  
“What? Are you not listening now too?” You take a quick look over at Sans, who appears to just be standing by and watching all this unfold. Seeing this only irritates you more. 

The creases in your brow deepen.

“Leave! If you know what's good for you GET OUT OF HERE!!!”  Your leaf slashes across the air as you shout angrily at the kid.

Frisk shrinks down more but still doesn’t move. 

They don’t even take a step back or anything!

They just stay firmly in place. 

You can’t help but let out an exhausted and irritated sigh.

_ Has this kid always been this stubborn? _

Honestly, you’re not sure. There were some things that the kid had insisted on before, but they never seemed impervious to reason.

For the most part, they had always seemed to have listened to you.

So, why aren’t they listening now?

Your eyes narrow as you watch them continue to just...stand there.

_ This is getting ridiculous!  _

You know that once Frisk sees reason, they’ll turn on their tale and finally leave.

_ I just need to make them see it. _

An idea pops into your head. There’s something about it you don’t really like, but you know it’s the only way.

_ But maybe there’s another way? _

Don’t be stupid.

You know there isn’t.

And as you watch Frisk take a single, hesitant step forwards...you know what you have to do it.

Putting on the most terrifying face you can muster, you focus and pull out Frisk’s soul.

The red glow suddenly illuminates the room, instantly stopping Frisk in their tracks.

The small child’s eyes widen as their gaze finally snaps up to meet yours. They pull the cape tighter around them as they stare up at you in surprise.

Surprise and something else you can’t really place.

_ Why do they look almost- _

You push that thought aside as you try to remain focused.

Keeping your eyes from drifting down to the soul, you shriek.

“Do you WANT me to hurt you?! Do you want me to rip this soul from your body?! You think that this hasn't crossed my mind?! You think I won't just kill you and take your soul for my own?!”

You try not to think too much about the soul hovering a few feet away from you as you tell them this. Feeling you features twist into something wicked, you screech.

“LEAVE! Before I do something only  _ you  _ will regret!” 

You sit there and seethe as you wait for them to turn and run. To leave this place as fast as they can. To get away from you and out of harm's way.

Frisk continues to hold your gaze, tears beginning to weld up in their eyes.

You think you finally got to them.

You think they finally see reason.

Then, as Frisk tightly squeezes their eyes shut…t hey frantically shake their head.

And your grimace drops in surprise.   
  
“No?” You ask, still in shock. After a second, your frustration begins to build once more as you shout “What do you mean **_no_** ** _?!_** I'll destroy you if you don't leave!!”

Frisk looks up at you for just a moment with teary eyes before they frantically shake their head once more.

“What?!” You ask in confusion. For a moment, your intense expression is replaced by a look of sheer bewilderment. 

_ I don’t understand...why are they doing this? _

Something inside you aches, but you ignore the pain for now.

Instead, you focus on the fact that the kid is still shaking their head.

Your expression suddenly shifts and you glower at them in agitation.

“Stop-stop doing that! What are you trying to-”

Frisk suddenly stops and with their eyes fixated on the ground they mutter to you quietly.

“You won't hurt me.” 

Whatever dark expression you were wearing instantly wipes away and is replaced by a look of pure astonishment.   
  
“H-huh?” You dumbly ask.

As they look up at you, something sets in Frisk’s expression. 

After a second, their posture straightens and they lower the red fabric from their face.

Confidently, they repeat themselves.

“You won't hurt me.” 

You stare at them in amazement.

Well...this isn’t what you were expecting at all, was it?

Now what?

You frown.

_ This stupid- _

You’re not sure what Frisk is trying to do, but whatever it is....it sure isn’t their most intelligent idea. 

_ I have to make them listen to me. It’s for their own good. _   
  
“What-” A small wave of nausea suddenly hits you, making you hesitate. You quickly shake it off. 

Now’s not the time to get sick.

Once you recover, you hastily yell. “What are you talking about!? You don't know that! You don't know what I will or won't do! You have no idea what I could be thinking about doing! I could strike you down right now, and I wouldn't feel a thing! I wouldn't feel sad or remorseful or happy or-or whatever else!”

Frisk seems unaffected by your words. They continue to stand there, their face a look of steely determination.   
  
“You won’t hurt me.” Their features soften slightly, and they take a step towards you. “You don’t want to hurt anyone anymore.” 

You cringe as a small pain hits your stomach. You take a quick glance behind you at the fluid, wondering if it might’ve run out. 

However, it’s still going. A bit slower now, but still dripping nonetheless. 

_ Then, why-? _

“You never meant to hurt them.” Frisk continues, and you quickly spin back around to the child before you. 

Your eyes narrow suspiciously at them. Something about what they’re saying…

_ Why does this sound familiar?  _

“You just didn’t want it to end yet.” Frisk says as they take another step towards you.

Your gut wrenches. 

Why are you having a stomach ache now, out of all this time?!

But you need to keep focused.

With frustration boiling inside you, you scream. “S-shut up! You don't know anything! You're just a stupid kid!”

The kid presses onwards and takes another step forward. A few more steps and they’ll be close enough to touch you.

Close enough for you to-

Quickly, you shake your head as you derail that train of thought.

_ No! I don’t want to hurt them. _   
  
“You made a mistake.” They tell you as they step forward once more. “You never wanted any of this to happen.” Their hand reaches towards you, and something in your stomach compresses too tight. 

_ Get away from me! I’m going to hurt you! _

You squeeze your eyes shut as you scream “Stop it! Just-just stop!” 

Opening your eyes, you glare at them. “Stop being so stupid! Stop being so trusting! You're just going to get hurt!” 

Frisk gives you a saddened expression, the tears welling up in their eyes. You feel your form begin to tremble, your vision beginning to blur as a sinking feeling enters your stomach.

_ I don’t understand, why am I like this? _

“You-...I can't...-I don't…” You try to sputter the words out, but they’re getting caught up in your throat and refuse to release. 

Something tickles your cheek, and you reflectively lift your leaf to swipe it away. 

But as soon you touch your face, you stop.

Your face feels...damp.

_ W-what the-? _

You pull your leaf away and look down at it curiously. 

Yup, your deformed little leaf has a small dark spot of water on it.

It’s then that you realize…

You thought you’ve been having stomach pains…

But you’re a flower...

You don’t have a stomach.

Another tear rolls down your cheek and a warm feeling begins to engulf your core as you realize...

You can  _feel_ everything.

Your emotions...

_ They’re...they’re back? _

You can't help but feel happy and relieved, but more so you are just plain confused.

It doesn’t make sense. You haven't felt  _ anything _ for weeks.

Weeks of feeling nothing but anger and fear.

And just like that, you can feel again.

You’re so confused.

_ I-I don’t understand. Why now? Why- _ __  
  
“He was your friend.” A small voice tells you.

Hesitantly, you look over to its source. 

A sense of realization beginning to dawn on you.

_W-wait..._

The small child is only a couple of steps away now, their hand still reaching out to you. 

“You’re sorry.” They say, their other hand removing from the cape as they reach out to you. Surprisingly, the cape stays wrapped around their shoulders as they continue forward. “You’re so sorry for what you did to him..to all of them.”

_ Frisk.. _

These words. 

You know you’ve heard them before. 

After a moment, you begin to remember.

The vision..

The one you had right before waking up. This time, you could hear the whispering, words echoing around you like they were everywhere at once. 

You remember…

_ These were the words. _

As Frisk reaches up to you, both hands extended, you instantly snap out of your thoughts and flinch back.

_ Please, stop! I don’t want to hurt you! _

As if hearing you plea, Frisk hesitates for just a moment. Then, determination crosses their expression and they reach for you again. 

This time, you can't pull back any further.

Frisk’s hands cup the sides of your face. 

You squeeze your eyes shut as a shock rips through your body. A pain you’ve only felt once when Frisk had touched you the first time. You want to scream for Frisk to let you go, but after a moment...it begins to subside. 

It’s not as painful anymore. Instead, it feels like your core is being squeezed way too tight. At the same time, a warmth burns though you and a lump forms in your throat.

It’s like you can feel every emotion you’ve been missing at once.

Opening your eyes, you stare at the child before you in awe.

You watch as tears continue to fall down their face. 

Yet, they smile at you.

“You want to fix this.” They tell you. “You want to show him that you can still do the right thing." 

The smile on their face widens. "You just want to-”   
  
"- help." You both finish together..

Just like that, you’re filled with a sense of clarity. 

Because these aren't just words to you, they're much deeper than that. 

These words run through the very culmination of your being, these words come from your **soul.**  
  
_ Frisk... _   
  
This is why your emotions have been fading in and out. This is why you haven’t felt anything in days. 

This is why Frisk reminds you so much of yourself when you were a kid.

With this newfound realization, your eyes drift to the brightly shining soul hovering above the child’s chest.

This soul, you’ve only seen it this up close a few times. Back then, you had always thought was red, but something had always seemed off about it. 

Different. 

Now, you know why.

Because now you've seen what a red soul actually looks like.

Chara's soul is red.

This one, it isn't red.

Not a true red, anyways.

This one is lighter, not as bold in color. 

The undertone appears almost magenta, maybe even a little orange in there too. 

Honestly, it's not an easy color for you to describe.

But there’s only one thing that pops into your mind as you gaze into it. 

_ Watermelon Oreos.  _

You reflect on this for a few moments, then the corners of your mouth turn upwards.

As more tears fall from your eyes, you fight back a laugh.

Seriously, why is is always Oreos with you?

But you can’t help it. 

With the color of the soul, your yellow leaves and bright green steam.

Your reminded of one of the weirdest Oreos ever created.

And you can’t help but want to laugh. And try as you might, you can't hold it back any longer.

_"Pffffttt!!"_ The sound is out before you can stop it and pretty soon, you can't fight it anymore.

So, you begin to laugh.

You laugh and laugh at the color of the watermelon soul

_Your_  watermelon soul.

After a few moments, you feel something begin to tighten inside your throat. Your core drops and as your emotions begin to overwhelm you, your laughter turns to sobs.

Everything that’s happened so far, all the emotions that you’ve been missing suddenly hit you like a freight train.

From the kind words Toriel had spoke to you, to seeing Flowey get slaughtered, to not being able to save everyone, to losing Papyrus…

...

Papyrus...

He believed in you…

He trusted you...but...in the end..

You couldn’t save him.

As the sobs continue to rack your tiny form,  you feel Frisk remove their hands from your face. Opening your eyes, you look down at the small child.

They a grin widely at you but tears stream down their face all the same. As you gaze at them, you feel that warm feeling from before blossom within you..pushing aside your grief for now.

Because despite all the bad that has happened, it could have been a lot worst.

_At least, I didn't lose everybody._

Looking down Frisk, you can’t help but smile.

The child appears touched for a moment, almost like they knew what you were thinking. Then, Frisk suddenly throws their arms around your glass container and wraps you in a tight embrace. 

You wrap your leaves around the crown of their head as you rest your chin on the top. It’s not much of a hug, but the best you can do regarding the circumstances.

Even with all these swirls of emotions inside of you, overall you feel happy.

You finally had your emotions back. You are now _you_ again..

Your soul is safe. 

Frisk is safe.

And Sans-

You feel something rest on top of your head. 

Lifting your chin, you tilt your head upwards to peer at the figure standing above.

“see?” Sans says, his grin wide and smug. “told ya so.”

Thinking back to what he said before, you choke out a laugh. 

Guess, he was right...for once. 

You should've given your soul more credit.

Not really knowing what else to say, you simply smile up at him.

His grin softens as he begins to rub your head, soothingly.

“welcome back, small fry.” Sans tells you, and your smile widens before you place your chin on the kids head once more.

You can’t believe it, after everything that’s happened.

Sans is still your friend. He might not have forgiven you for what you’ve done, but...to know actually cares about you.

Cares enough to spare you and give you a second chance.

It’s more than you could’ve ever hoped for.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The feels get even me, so I hope they get you too. Also, sorry I haven't responded to comments yet. I was waiting until the second part of this was done first.
> 
> Also, next chapter will be posted sometime next month. Check back for an official date. I've been trying to get back to posting every other week, but how big these chapters are getting makes me think that might not be possible. (chapter 45 and 46 were supposed to be ONE chapter after all...yeah didn't happen. ) But we'll see.


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